Elephant Royale
by LiyamD
Summary: Merlin was only a normal teenager with normal problems when he found out he was the son of a King. Along with royal duties, a protective brother, hounding paparazzi, and evil step-mother and step-sister, Merlin thought his life couldn't get any worse until he met the heir of the British Throne. Life sucks. Modern!AU
1. Part I: The Elephant Prince, Chapter One

**PART I:**

THE ELEPHANT PRINCE

"I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none". - **Macbeth** (Act I, Scene VII).

* * *

 **Chapter One**

" **Welcome to New York"**

 _Oh, Shit_. Merlin thought. _This can't be happening_.

The entire hall was filled with fancy suits and lavish gowns and dresses. It was full of laughter and smiles and chit chat but Merlin couldn't understand half of them. A small orchestra was playing at the middle corner of the hall ignored by half of the crowd. A few couples danced, laughing and giggling as they swayed to the music looking beautiful as ever. The crystal chandelier glistened from the ceiling and the size of it was elephantine. None seemed to notice the boy, pale and sweating, peeking from the curtains waiting for the time of his introduction, and anyone who saw him would point out that he was sick and was about to puke any moment.

 _Any minute now,_ He went back inside and grumbled his thoughts.

Merlin's stomach rumbled. He hasn't eaten for three hours now and the American cheeseburger didn't helped at all. He peeked outside again and he can see all kinds of food spread across a long table. It's more than he can count with all sorts of Spanish, Indian, French and German cuisine with names he couldn't even pronounce let alone know the ingredients on the food. It gave him a headache. Why can't they just translate them to English and in that way, he knew what he's eating.

A loud and obnoxious laughter broke Merlin's train of thought. It's coming from the small chubby guy in his mid-fifties, talking to a couple from a corner. Merlin noticed all the expensive accessories and they seemed too bored from their conversation. "Oh yes, Prime Minister. I hope you and your lovely wife a wonderful evening!" The lady in the purple gown flashed a fake smile.

 _Plastics_. Merlin shook his head and started pacing again.

Merlin was sure half of the hall are full of plastic people just there for publicity. In the past few months, his life has turned upside down and gutted like a fish. He bet half of them just hopped on his royal fame clamoring to be his friend or his best of friend. But with those expensive dresses and plastic surgeries, their intentions might not be as friendly as he thought. These people consisted of royals, local and international celebrities and filmmakers, public and government officials, super rich businessmen and lucky citizens of the country invited to a major feast. With everything that's been happening to him, he can't believe he didn't jumped off to the nearest cliff and drowned himself to death. Though, he chickened out from the thought. Life was such a _bitch_.

He heard the clinking sound of a wine glass and cutlery. He was sure the man behind the curtain was about to give his speech, and hopefully its long so he could take a breath, and introduce him to the ladies and gentlemen waiting to see him. His contact lenses started to bother him and he missed the feeling of his glasses.

 _This is it_. Every inch of hair on his body rose, his palms sweat. _Big moment of my life_. His heart pounded fast making it harder to hear the man speak. He's now afraid he might miss his big entrance. _Merlin, if you screw this up, I'll cut you_. Merlin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then, he heard his call.

"Your majesties and royal highnesses, Ladies and gentlemen, It is an honor to welcome you, Prince Merlin of Ealdor!" The speaker said it with so much enthusiasm and the whole room applauded. It's too late to jump off the cliff now. _Shit_.

Merlin took another deep breath, and stepped into his public execution.

 **I.**

 _Six months ago,_

 _New York City._

 _Spring Break._

Merlin's life might smell like a dead rotting body six months later but this was when the wounds started showing up, the first open flesh of his life, his privacy taken in an instant drowning on the great lakes. Looking back, His life was a melodramatic roller coaster full of non-stop action and suspense and drama straight out of a good Mexican soap opera. At least it's better than Twilight. If he could choose which life to live between six months ago and six months later, he would choose this time of day anytime even if he's bribed with _AnnaBelle_ chocolates, his favorite.

"Merlin, what are you going to wear tomorrow?" Maggie asked.

Merlin turned his attention from the little kids playing from the distance to Maggie, his best friend, as he put his glasses back on his eyes. Central Park has been looking great lately.

"The usual pants, a shirt and a jacket because it's going to be cold," Merlin said with a smile.

Maggie pulled a straight face, "You're killing me." Merlin stared at her with indifference. "Seriously, you're killing me."

Maggie was what you called, a control freak. Super competitive and you could get injured, or worse, killed, in a stare down. But she has a softer side, too. She can't tolerate bullies and she's a super humanitarian as well. She's the one who saved Merlin from the homophobic jocks trying to smash his skull. Maggie came to his rescue and kicked the shit out of them. From that day on, they became best friends for the reason that Maggie wanted to have a gay friend, but Merlin knows that's not it. No one wanted to mess with her. She may be small, but she could rip your head off.

"Isn't that what we always wear?" Merlin had no idea what Maggie was so upset about.

" _Boo Boo_ , Have you heard any of what I just said?" When Maggie's discussion was about planning for something, it went to great detail and Merlin just chose to tune her out and asked Freya later. She paid more attention than he did. It's what Freya called multi-tasking. Freya and Maggie had the same brain. They act alike. And the nickname was annoying Merlin a lot.

"Yeah, I heard everything!"

"Well," Maggie caught on his lie. "I want us to be in a presentable manner tomorrow when we meet the love of our life!" Maggie enthusiastically clapped her hands giggling like a school girl. Freya joined in, too. Both of them have had it for days now.

"The _prince_ ," Merlin annoyingly said the word which caused Maggie and Freya to stare at him.

 _Yes, the Prince. Who could ever forget the Prince_. For the past three weeks (felt like a year), Maggie and Freya couldn't help but felt giddy and so excited when they heard the heir of the British Throne was coming to New York City for a charity event, and other activities, for four days. They called him, "The biggest love fish in the Bachelor Pool" and they've been mentioning that nickname for days now. _Love Fish_. Merlin had only seen the Prince three times. Once on a computer when Freya tried to show him what he looked like and twice in Maggie's room, where she had a life-sized cardboard cutout of him. It was a bit creepy and thankfully, Maggie's Mom rarely let them in her room. She preferred them to hang out in the basement. With the two girls talking about the Prince's great features, Merlin wasn't interested. He may be gay but throwing himself to a Prince, who's surely going to marry a princess or a rich woman for an heir, just didn't click in Merlin's train of thought. He realized he doesn't remember his name.

"What was his name again?" Merlin asked, but it sounded like a mumble but Freya heard him.

"His name is Prince Arthur! Bachelor of the year in Cosmo for three years straight now! Heir to the throne! His blonde hair, His striking smile, His nice ass…" Freya swooned as she thought about the man. Merlin had never seen it before but he realized Freya was the light version of Maggie.

"And his piercing blue eyes and oh, so gorgeous body…seriously, I've seen him shirtless a lot of times now," Maggie trailed in.

"You've seen him shirtless?" Merlin asked, puzzled.

"Of course I have. If you're going to be obsess with someone, least you can do is see him shirtless so you could obsess some more!" Maggie said matter of fact. It didn't sound as a reasonable answer but Merlin just nodded and smiled.

"And don't forget he's going to be King someday. Every girl dreamed to be Queen of the United Kingdom since he's birth, including the elderly." They both laughed at the thought.

"So, Boo, I need you to dress nice. I already convinced Will to do the same." Maggie looked him on the eye. "Boo, promise me that you'll dress super gorgeous tomorrow." It doesn't sound like a request. It's a demand.

Merlin huffed. "We're just standing in front of the airport, wait for him to land, see him and we all get his attention. Then, we follow him to his hotel where we scream some more and then go…" Maggie shut him up with her fingers.

"Still! Dress nice! He might notice me, or Freya or even you! And don't wear those glasses!" She took it out of his eyes as Merlin protested.

"Maggie, he may be a prince but I'm not that gay! And I'm pretty sure he's not gonna notice me. I'm a guy."

"Everyone knows every gay guy throws themselves to the prince!" Freya tuned in saying like it's a fact.

"I'm not one of them."

"Shush!" Maggie pressed her finger on Merlin's lips again, deeper this time. "No arguing. I need my beauty sleep tomorrow. Merlin, we're not just going to stand and see him walk," She said.

"I don't even know what he looks like," Merlin chimed in. the image of Prince Arthur was long gone in Merlin's memory. Like he said, it just didn't click.

"Shush," Maggie pressed her finger hard even more. "We're going to see Prince Arthur up close. I can assure you that." Maggie's smile turned into a smug. A look that consisted of a dirty plan and usually involved him at the middle of it.

"Maggie, what are you up to?" He didn't receive an answer from the blonde girl.

 **II.**

 _Merlin's Residence._

Merlin's apartment overlooked the great Central Park. His mother, Hunith, and her second husband, George Phillips, chose this location because they wanted to see nature every time they woke up every morning and not buildings. Hunith worked as a florist three blocks down the street. She grew up around in a farm and liked the idea to grow plants and flowers. She's the reason why Merlin was eating healthy and had a good diet. Their apartment was full of beautiful and fragrant flowers handpicked by Hunith herself. Most of their neighbors in the building bought their flowers from her and they went to her for advice to grow vegetation in the mini garden on the roof top. On the other hand, George was a Pediatrician and Merlin admired him on his work. He would also liked to be a Pediatrician when he grew up so that he could take care of children because he adored them. He thought they're adorable and cute and the children felt the same way.

"Hi, Mom." Merlin greeted his mom when he walked in. There was no sight of George, and he thought he may be at work.

"There's dinner in the fridge if you're hungry!" Hunith called from the living room watching TV. Merlin looked at the television for a second and read the headlines. It said something about the Prince coming. _The prince, again_. America was so obsessed with celebrities and royalties nowadays. He ignored it.

"I already ate on my way here." Merlin walked up behind his mom and kissed her on the cheek. "Goodnight, mom!" Hunith smiled at her son and returned to watched what's going on the television.

Merlin knew that his mother knew that he preferred men when he was five years old. It was her favorite story to tell at the dinner table. The story would go one like this; Hunith noticed that when Merlin gave a flower he picked up on the playground, he gave it to the boy who he just met not an hour ago. And as years passed by, she came to accept his son because she loved him so much. Then, Merlin told her and George, and Merlin liked to think that his step-father handled it pretty well. He suspected that his mom knew about it and it came as no surprise when Hunith hugged him after he told them.

Their home was a two story apartment. It probably caused half of Hunith and a half of George's salary and that's almost in millions. But, Merlin couldn't complain of having a nice home to go to. As Merlin walked up the flight of stairs, he heard the phone rang. He backtracked himself and ran down the stairs and picked up the wireless phone.

"Phillips residence. To whom am I speaking?" Merlin asked. There was a brief pause and Merlin was about to hang up when the speaker on the other line spoke.

"Uh yes, my name's Balinor. Is this the home of Hunith Essetir?" _Essetir_? Merlin never heard anyone spoke of his mother's maiden name. Could this be someone who knew her when she was young? She hardly spoke of the people back in her home country. Merlin noticed the man has a distinct accent.

"Yes. This is my mother's house. Would you like her on the phone?" There was another brief pause. Merlin was sure he could hear a glass smashed on the floor from the other line. The sound was too familiar every time Hunith was washing the dishes.

"Sir, Are you okay?" Merlin asked, concerned.

"Yes I um…my glass slipped out of my hands. Clumsy me! Yes, I would like to speak to her if I may." The man on the other line chuckled.

"I'll call her. Hold on." Merlin carried the wireless phone into the living room.

"Mom!" Merlin called out. _Maybe this friend of hers knows my real father._

Hunith turned around from the sofa and saw Merlin carrying the phone.

"Who's that?" She asked curiously. She got up and muted the TV, now in the channel of a crime show.

"I don't know. A friend of yours maybe. He seemed to know you." Merlin handed her the phone. "Name's Balinor."

 **III.**

A shocked expression crossed Hunith's face. The phone pleading on her hands. For a second, she couldn't believe what she just heard. A part of her wanted to end the call or threw the phone across the room and the other part wanted to speak to the man on the other line. Hunith tried to hide her expression in front of her son. She doesn't want him to be suspicious. Merlin had been asking about his extended family and father because all he's got was his third cousin in Wyoming, an uncle on the other end of the Atlantic, and an aunt and her husband down in Florida. She never talked about her parents or her family history. There's too much blood and carnage that she tried to shield Merlin from the truth. But it's too late. Merlin has caught on her mother's expression and the look on his face told Hunith that Merlin would have a lot of questions to ask.

"Thanks, son. Now go to bed. I'll wake you in the morning." Merlin turned around and moved straight towards the stairs. Hunith watched him as he went.

She has a big apartment and she knew Merlin won't overhear them unless he poked his head in the corridor. Hunith raised the phone toward her ears, took a deep breath and greeted the man on the other line.

"Hello." Hunith tried to fight her emotions.

"Hunith. It's good to hear your voice. I didn't know." The other man on the other line sounded the same way.

"It's good to hear from you, too, your Majesty."

 **IV.**

 _Up in the Air…_

 _On a Royal Private Jet._

Prince Arthur Pendragon, Prince of Wales, was too distracted talking to his father from the very attractive stewardess five feet away from him. He smiled at her and it melted her away like ice. He loved doing that to women. It almost came as a hobby for him. Princess Morgana has found herself annoyed by her brother's actions and womanizing act. Queen Ygraine also agreed with her. They've seen the prince with many women coming out of his bed chambers and while they did approached the prince about it, he turned a blind eye and by the next week, he did it again. Seven past girlfriends since the age of fifteen and they have come and go with tears on their eyes. The people of England called Prince Arthur a heartthrob, a womanizer, and a heart-breaker. Many have publicized Arthur's conquests on paper in full detail. This received a parental talk between Arthur and King Uther and Queen Ygraine about sex, which Arthur swore scarred him for life and vowed never to remember that day again. Now at the age of nineteen, in his second year of University, the Queen hoped that their talk put a sense into the bloated head of his. His doings had almost caused a few heart attacks to Uther. He knew Arthur was young but that doesn't mean he can be irresponsible to his duties as Prince.

"If we weren't in front of your mother, I can assure you that I would hit you on the head for ignoring me." Uther said calmly.

"What?" Prince Arthur snapped back into reality from imagining the stewardess on his lap.

"Never mind. I can see that you're obviously busy."

"Distracted of what, father?"

"Oh, like you don't know. I've been talking to myself for five minutes blabbering like an idiot." Uther chuckled.

"This is the first time I've ever heard you say you're an idiot, Father." Arthur acted like he's surprised. This was actually the second time. The other one was in Germany during a family vacation when Uther couldn't pronounce the cuisine in front of him. But, Arthur decided not to remind him of that because it was in front of the German president.

"Don't flatter yourself."

Arthur and Uther's relationship was hanging lightly by a thread. The question was when it would snap. They don't get along too well on some occasions, mostly about royal duties and the rest was Arthur's attitude and the shame he brought to the family name by partying non-stop in night clubs with friends and the negative publicity it caused. Uther tried hard educating Arthur about royal duties because he would soon be King. But there's something he can't put his finger on about the young prince. He might think that he's son was all about ego and bravery and all that bravado but with no brain, but there's too much thought every time he saw him in the study hall just thinking and sitting there about a particular thing. He knew Arthur has a fantasy about being normal but Uther knew that he couldn't be. Since birth, he was never normal. He was born of royalty and class. He hoped that Arthur realized that before everything's too late. He lost count of the days when Arthur requested to have a normal day in London when he was just a little boy. But Uther's too scared that someone might harm the boy that he never gave him a chance to venture outside. Since he got his freedom when he turned sixteen, he has been in night clubs more than those trashy American celebrities he saw from Morgana's magazines and television. He hoped Arthur would end his rebellion and act like what's he's meant to be.

"Do you still remember what you promised?" Uther broke the silence between them. His eyes on the newspaper, reading about their soon-to-be arrival in New York. The light and warm atmosphere between them turned cold.

"Yes, Father." Arthur's words were cold and silent.

Uther confronted Arthur three weeks ago after another trip into a club and threatened to halt all his credits and money unless he got some sense of who he was and what he's about to do to the country in the near future. It was a long hard argument that ended up bloody on both sides but Arthur promised his father that he would behave on the trip to New York for the Charity Gala. Arthur wasn't proud of his actions. He's grown tired of being treated as the _"Heir to the throne"_ since birth resulting to a rebellious phase. Rebellion for treating him like a prisoner, for treating him like he's higher than everyone, and for not having a chance to experience the world. He was never given a chance to walk among his people and feel what it felt to be normal.

"This is an important ball, Arthur. A lot of royalties and other people are going to this event. Be respectful this time. I didn't raise you to treat galas and charity events as pick up spots for women." Uther looked at his son who was obviously trying to not look him on the eye. "Besides, there's an auction to raise funds for animals. You love animals, don't you? You can donate money to that or buy something in there. And if I ever heard from the guards that pretty blondes or brunettes have been coming out of your room, I will do what I told you and this time, I won't warn you."

And for this, Arthur hated his life. He hasn't been with a woman for seven months now. And yes, he counted. The sex was great and wonderful, but something was missing. In dating, he enjoyed the company of his girlfriends but ended up breaking the relationship because he felt it's not going to work in the future. There's a part that's missing between him and the girl he's with. There's no spark. No fireworks when he touched and entwined their hands. Well, in sex there was and it's a big atomic bomb after it happened. But as the relationship went on, the sex was different and the erupting volcano just turned dormant the rest of the night.

Sometimes, Arthur just wanted to lie down and closed his eyes and fly somewhere he couldn't be bothered by royal responsibilities and his father's glare.

 **V.**

 _Merlin's Residence,_

 _Morning._

It was nine AM in the morning and Merlin found himself too lazy to get out of bed. Freya, Maggie and Will were going to barged inside his room any moment. Today was the day Prince Charming landed on the airport and Maggie texted him many times that they couldn't be late or else Maggie would start World War III.

Hee wondered more about who Balinor was and what his relationship was with his mom. Right after the phone call, he asked his mother about him but he was ignored, an old friend back at her home country, Avalon, a phantom place that Merlin have ties to and yet, couldn't bring up a didn't know anything about Avalon. When his mother came to America, he was in her womb. His mother spoke rarely of family members there from time to time but when Merlin asked further, she just told him they're probably dead or didn't really care about her. Merlin always heard his mom talked about bad memories there. He googled search the country many times and it was breathtaking and so beautiful.

Avalon was a small nation sitting between the Netherlands and Belgium and across the U.K., it's the most beautiful thing Merlin had ever seen. Their government was an absolute monarchy, the king still has power over the lands. They held great festivals and other merry occasions. They were one of the most hospitable people in the whole world and the lake of Avalon has been in the 7 great wonders of the world list three times. They're the first country to legalized gay marriage and accept them for who they were. That was in 1999, when nobody thought any country would do such a thing and other countries followed suit. Their neighboring country, the Netherlands, followed. Merlin pressed his mother to visit the country for years but his mother just shrugged and told him that there's nothing there for them. Merlin promised himself that when he got his own money, he would visit the country. Of course, he wouldn't tell his mother that.

Right on cue, Will, who lived four doors down the hall, burst into his room.

"The witches are going to arrive in fifteen minutes." He walked towards the bed and pulled the covers off of Merlin. Merlin groaned.

Will had been his best friend since he was five in kindergarten. Some punk ass bullies tried to bully Will and Merlin stepped in front and stomped his feet. The bully scoffed and walked away and Merlin felt so proud that day and it earned him a friend. After Merlin told Hunith about him being gay, Will was the next person he told and he calmly put down the Xbox controller and said, "You're not going to kiss me, are you?"and Merlin gave him a hard punch. Then, the whole school knew and gay jokes started rolling in. He was quite surprised more stood up for him against close minded people. It gave him hope that not all people are ignorant. It earned him a lot of friends, including Freya, who was his biology partner and a religious person, asking him how it felt receiving it from the behind. But Merlin didn't know because he planned to keep his dignity and self-respect on the long road ahead. He planned to be honorable and respectable since society thought nowadays that gays jumped on the next guy with a glowing, neon-signed disco stick.

"At least five minutes wouldn't hurt, Will." Merlin tried to return to bed but Will already pulled him out of it and handed him a towel.

"Merlin, I don't want my head on a chopping block so you better get ready or…I won't give you AnnaBelle." For a second, Merlin was about to make an insulting remark when he heard _AnnaBelle_. Ah, it's like music to his ears. He wouldn't argue with that. Without a word, he walked outside his room and entered the bathroom. The moment they're out of this house, Will was going to buy him those chocolates. He bribed him, now he's getting them.

Merlin saw Will smirk, his mission accomplished. Within the next hour, they were off on the street rushing toward the airport.

 _Yes,_ Merlin muttered. _This is the worst day of my entire life._

Screaming girls…and gays had gathered around the airport entrance. Under the bright rays of the sun, Merlin didn't want to be here. It's too hot and too many fan girls crying for their prince carrying signs and card board cutouts of " _Marry me NOW!"_ or worse, " _I could rock your bejeweled pole!"_ signfrom a red headed girl on the far right. If the prince ever read that, he would be scarred for life.

Freya and Maggie were jumping up and down trying to get a glimpse of the blonde haired prince as he walked out the airport. Merlin couldn't see him clearly thanks to the advice and by force from Freya and Maggie not to wear his glasses. Will was surely not amused. Merlin felt so sorry for Will that he has to put up with Freya pining on her for months now but sadly, Freya hadn't realize that yet. Merlin couldn't wait to grab his AnnaBelle chocolates after this.

Merlin decided to disobey Freya's command to not wear his glasses. He wanted to see the prince in person to see what the fuss was all about and why they're so head over heels and would kill to meet this bloke. He put them on when someone from behind pushed him, and he fell on the ground, his glasses broken, trampled by the feet of the people around him. _Shit!_ He got up again carrying the broken pieces of his glasses and craned his neck to catch a glimpse at the prince but he was too late.

 _Oh well,_ Merlin thought. _He looks like a prat._

The car drove off. Half of the girls ran to catch it but he saw no point on doing that.

"Did you see him?!" Freya screamed.

"Yeah. He had nice hair." Merlin said. That's the only thing he could see.

"What happened to your glasses?" Maggie asked.

"Someone pushed me and I fell on the ground. My glasses got stomped on. Don't worry, I have a spare back home."

"But did you get a good look at him?" Freya asked.

"No. And thank god I did not see him because he seemed too arrogant and snobbish." he joked. But that was the biggest mistake he's ever said because the two women were shooting daggers at him and Will won't even help.

Freya and Maggie was chit chatting about their encounter with Prince Arthur. It wasn't much of an encounter but an ogling session. The four of them walked toward Will's parked car from a distance. Most of the girls on the crowd started to spread out. As Merlin turned to the left, he noticed two men, a handsome young lad probably in his late twenties in a black suit and in a trench coat and a hulking black man in his mid thirties, standing beside him. They were looking at Merlin's direction. Merlin looked around to find the person they were looking at but he realized that they were staring at him.

"Hey Merlin, you still wanna ride?" Will snapped him out of his thought.

"Of course, you idiot."

Merlin looked back. The two men started to get inside their car. _Maybe it's nothing._

"Is something wrong?" Freya asked him.

Merlin just hoped his day would run smoothly. He smiled and shook his head.

Throughout the afternoon, they hanged out at Times Square and had a coffee in Starbucks waiting for Arthur to go to his hotel. Maggie talked about Arthur's plans in his four day trip in New York.

"King Uther and Queen Ygraine are visiting the White House for the second time while Prince Arthur and Princess Morgana are left here in New York for a full day tour around the city but with bodyguards of course. the next two days, they will be visiting two charity events. One is for breast cancer and one is just a Charity Gala for selected causes. Tomorrow would be the breast cancer and the day after tomorrow would be the other one. And the last day, well, I think they're just staying in town for a few hours then leave." Freya spoke so fast, Merlin couldn't understand half of what she just said.

"That means they're going to be around here any minute!" Maggie almost screamed.

"If I were him, I would put on a restraining order of every girl in the city." Will shook his head.

"Why Will? Are you jealous?" Maggie teased.

"Jealous?!" Will shrieked. The three people in front of him laughed. "Merlin, Why are you laughing?"

"Oh Will, even if Freya has Arthur in her heart, There's a tiny chair for you there, too." Merlin earned a slap on the head from the girl.

"Very funny. He's only joking, Will. You know I only see you as a friend." Freya said, oblivious to the pained look Will was suppressing inside him.

 **VI.**

When the young royals toured Times Square, there were hounded by many people. It went too far that they couldn't step outside their car so their trip consisted of only looking at the buildings and other tourist attractions through their tinted car windows. Even paparazzi and photographers crowded their car every time they stopped while the tour guide informed them about the place. Arthur grew annoyed every minute.

"What a lovely building." Morgana pointed at the Empire State Building. "I've seen this in a lot of movies. Right, Arthur?" She turned to him, obviously not listening and not paying attention. The tour guide noticed this, too. Morgana just ignored him.

"Yes, your highness. Used to be the tallest building in the world back in the day."

"I've heard. I read it on the history books." The car started to drive away from the building. "Shouldn't we try and step foot in it?" Morgana asked.

"I'm sorry, your highness, but King Uther ordered us not to leave the car." Tristan, the head of security, informed her. There was a bit of disappointment in his tone.

"That's a shame, really."

Arthur rolled his eyes. Even in vacation, he is a prisoner. He wanted to enjoy the city of New York. It's his first time here and it's a great shame that his days standing on this magnificent city went wasted. His parents won't be back by tomorrow. And he knew Morgana won't make a fuss. Arthur has a plan tonight. He knew all the security details of the hotel he's living in. If he could find a crack from the bodyguards roaming around the corridors, he could slip out into the city and go unnoticed and hopefully, enjoy his stay. And he'd be back before midnight.

"What are you smirking about?" Morgana noticed her brother's deep thought.

"Nothing," _Morgana, you don't fool me. Like you don't already know_. "Just nothing."

 **VII.**

"Maggie, can we just stop?" Merlin whispered.

"Shush!"

Merlin didn't like this plan, trespassing into the hotel. Since Maggie threw a fit for not seeing Arthur in Times Square, She and Freya went to plan B which usually involved him. Because of his lock picking skills, thanks to a kid in school named Bobby John, he was forced to pick the back door of the hotel where Arthur currently reside. Maggie has bribed the guard but failed. They used Will as a distraction instead and that guard has currently been chasing Will around the perimeter. They slipped in and this is the only obstacle left before they entered the building. In the mercy of these two women, Merlin had no choice but to oblige.

When Merlin finally heard the click, he got up and warned the girls one more time that they could go to jail but Freya and Maggie walked passed through him and entered the building. Merlin finally saw Will.

"Where's the guard?" Will smiled and winked at him.

"Oh, around." Both of them walked inside and locked the door behind them to avoid suspicion.

The four of them stumbled into the kitchen. Most of the chefs and cooks were too busy on realizing four teenagers walking passed them. They entered into a dining area and none drew suspicion on them, too. Everyone thought they were guests. Merlin started thanking Maggie of having the brilliant idea of dressing up like a rich money whore.

"Okay, from Prince Arthur girl dot net, rumors have it that he resides at the tenth story. between room 1030 to 1050. But it was leaked that Morgana's room was room 1041 so maybe Arthur's room is beside or across from that." Freya said. This girl was like a talking Prince Arthur encyclopedia.

"Wouldn't they just stick to a very bigger room? possibly, three rooms connected. maybe?" Merlin added in. "A presidential suite?"

"Boo, that is so smart!" Maggie kissed him on the cheek. "You put your gay smarts to good use."

The four of them went into the lobby and they were shocked to see how magnificent and beautiful it was. A big crystal chandelier shined the whole area and there were a lot of guests trying to check in. Paparazzi and hopeless romantic teenagers were all parked outside the entrance waiting for the prince to come out. It's like a zoo out there. With their attires, they could easily fit in.

This was supposed to be the most lavish and one of the expensive grand hotels in New York and everyone here expected class. Emrys Hotel, named after the great kings of Avalon, had received high praise from its customers and critics and had been used by royals, big celebrities and even leaders of other countries as home for a few days in New York. The building was named after the royal family of Avalon, who currently still rule the land and sometimes visit the place, too.

Merlin caught something on his left corner. He turned around and saw the same men he saw on the airport. The man on a trench coat and the hulking guy next to him were both sitting comfortably with newspapers both on their hands looking like FBI's. They appeared not to have noticed him looking at them. _What if they've caught on what the four of us are doing?_ But that seemed ridiculous seeing they just planned this an hour ago. _What if they're CIA?_ _or possibly M.I. 6?_ But the idea of it was laughable and Merlin came to a conclusion that the two men in black were just ordinary guests in this magnificent hotel. Heck, they could turned out to be doctors or businessmen on a trip here in New York.

The four of them went into the elevator and climbed to the Eighth floor. Freya pushed the tenth button but Maggie insisted that they go to the Eighth. Later on, Maggie admitted she scoped the place out five days before Prince Arthur arrived planning on sneaking on the stairs through the eighth floor to the tenth fearing they'll meet guards on the elevator. As soon as they reached the floor, they sneaked up to two more floors and planned to greet Arthur with smiles. Merlin hoped they don't end up behind bars but he doubt it. Merlin's head swirled with second thoughts. They crouched in front of the door leading to the hallway as Maggie pushed the door open.

"Maggie, Are you sure?" Merlin hesitated.

"Boo! Stop worrying! we're fine! We're minors that means they can't do anything to us." Maggie was no stranger to the law. "Besides, some people do this all the time but nothing happened to them."

"Because they're probably six feet under the earth."

 _Ahem_. A cough. It doesn't sound that familiar. Freya, Maggie and Will were both in front of Merlin and he didn't see them cough. In fact, Freya seemed to have the same expression as Merlin did. The confusion turned to horror when they both realized none of them did it.

 _Ahem._

The next one was intended and loud. Maggie stopped trying to sneak into the hall and the four young teens slowly turned around to find a guard crossing his arm and glaring at them for eternity.

 _Maggie, you stink._ Merlin muttered under his breath.

The four of them ran for their life.

* * *

 **A/N** : I love this story a lot and due to life taking a toll, I have to delete the story for quite a few years. Now, I've decided to revisit this world, continue building it, and published it again. There may be changes on the stories to come because of edits. I do apologize immensely to readers who may have missed this story a few years ago. Without further adieu, Enjoy!


	2. Arthur's Great Escape

**Chapter Two**

ARTHUR'S GREAT ESCAPE

 **I.**

Its 4:32 PM. _Great,_ Arthur murmured. _In two minutes, I'll be gone_.

Arthur's plan was going along smoothly. After he got back from the tour around four, he convincingly told Tristan and Ramirez that he's too tired and needed some rest. He turned on his television on some news about his arrival in America. He took a hot shower and later dressed up in casual clothes as a disguise. He listened behind the door to make his next move, his television still running.

He promised his father to behave but he promised to behave around women. He would not pick up nor would flirt in an inappropriate manner around women. He would speak in a tone of a prince and talk and act professional on the whole trip. But he never promised he wouldn't slip out from the watchful gaze from the men in black. He never promised that at all. Even if he got caught, or made it out of the building AND got caught, he would tell his father that he never promised about this. And he could now see his father circling his temples with his two fingers and telling him he's giving him a bad headache or another heart attack.

The clock turned to 4:34 PM. Oswald, the guard in the living room, was going to switch places with another guard and he has at least three minutes to slipped out into the hallway. Right on cue, Oswald got up and walked towards the door. He had to go down the ninth floor to summon the other guard. Its Arthur's time to move.

When the guard finally got out of the living room, Arthur crept out of his room and sneaked slowly toward the door. The television was still on in his room so everyone would think that he was still inside resting. Unfortunately, Morgana's room opened and her head popped out.

"Caught you." Morgana said mischievously. "Arthur, you're losing your touch."

Arthur paused and turned his head to her direction. His expression can be expressed from embarrassment to frustration. " _Morgana_ …" he hissed.

"Calm down brother, I'm not going to tell Tristan you sneaked out." Morgana calmly opened her door wide open. "But you know, this is the first time you sneak out in a trip. Father would…"

"Don't you dare," before he could finish his sentence, Morgana stopped him.

"Oh please, I've seen you when you're mad. You're absolutely the person I won't be near with. I'll distract any person trying to come into your room. But be back before midnight. I need my sleep, you know. Don't you forget that we're meeting the King of Avalon tomorrow." Morgana said smiling at him. She started to close her door when Arthur called out.

"Morgana!" Arthur called in a whisper. "Thank You."

"You owe me one." Morgana closed her door. "Arse."

Arthur moved closer toward the door and pulled his red hoodie up. He twisted the knob and pulled the door open. He shut it again when two bodyguards came running down the hall. He thought he got caught but no one barged into the room.

Arthur waited and after he counted the thirtieth second, he opened the door again and found all the guards running amuck. Most of them were running toward his left. towards his exit. Now, his plan has turned. _If they're all running to the stairwell, the elevator is left open_. _Good._ He thought.

Arthur slowly walked out of the room and sneaked toward the elevator. He was tempted to run but that would be too obvious. He was near now. He looked back but the hallway was still empty. Whoever or whatever gave him a distraction was a blessing from someone above. He heard another guard coming from his left corner and he entered an open room and closed it behind him. He listened and the guard passed the door. He sighed and turned around and realized the room was not empty.

A little girl, probably in her seventh year, crouched with her yellow teddy bear, a Barbie doll, and a Bratz doll, and was in a middle of a private tea party and she seemed to notice her intruder. Her parents were out of sight. Then, Arthur noticed the object on her hand. It was a phone and it was aimed at her direction.

"Are you the Prince?" she asked innocently. Arthur just gave her an awkward smile. "Can you marry me?" Arthur wasn't sure how to reply on this. The girl then decided to run toward another room calling her mom. "I have a prince in my room!"

Arthur rushed out of the room out of fear the girl might attract the other guards. The hallway was still empty. He proceeded toward the elevator and quickened his pace.

He finally reached the elevator and pushed the button. The elevator doors opened and he entered inside and hurriedly pressed the button to the ground floor. He wished no one would enter from any floor fearing that they might recognized him. The girl already did. Or she probably assumed everyone who entered her door was the prince. He turned on his phone and so far he hasn't got any messages or call from Tristan telling him where the fuck he was.

An agonizing thirty seconds of his life later, he finally reached the lobby and stepped out of the elevator. He needed to get to the back of the building and slip out. None of the guests seemed to realize who he was. Of course, these guests knew who he was. If a prince was staying in your hotel, everyone would know about it. Three men started to approach him.

 _Shit,_ he cursed himself. _Just stay cool._

But it's obvious. One of the men started to call out for him. His lips talking to the radio on his hand and the prince swore he could hear him saying, _"The prince tried to escape call back-up."_ But he was wrong.

"Hey kid! You! Come here! You're not supposed to be in this building!" Those were some rude words to talk down a prince. These men were security guards for the hotel. But obviously, they would talk to him in respect, they're trained that way unless, they don't recognize him. These three fools thought he's a trespasser and not a guest of the hotel. If they got closer, the three men would realize who they were talking to. Arthur had no choice but to run. The three men followed behind him but he was a fast runner and he knew that for a fact. He beat his cousins and friends on a race. Lancelot might beat him on some occasions but he usually came out as the victor. He tried to convince himself that Lancelot was not losing intentionally out of respect for the prince. He quickened his pace. Surely he can outrun the three stooges from catching him.

He entered the dining hall and slipped into the kitchen. One Chinese cook yelled at him and a waiter tried to stop him but he ended up slamming his body on an already cooked meal. The plates and the food crashed on the floor. The three men remained on his tail. A waitress carrying wine glasses full of champagne got knocked over by the big guy out of all the three and he came crashing down on top of her earning him a scream and a punch on the face. The waitress slapped the man right on the face. The other one tried to help him up while the last was hot on his trail but the guy slipped on a cheesecake lying on the ground and he hit his back on the floor pretty hard. He found a door leading to the outside world but it was already wide open. He ran outside and into an alley. The three men scrambled to get up. The cooks and waiters helped them. They were back on his trail.

He turned towards the streets; the locals were looking at him with cautious expression. They don't recognize him at all. The three men were lagging behind him. _At least, they could use the exercise._ Arthur passed by a grocery guy carrying a box of cabbages and he almost tripped himself over when he bumped in front of the guy. The three guys ran over him and the four of them ended up tumbling on the ground. The guy cursed them in Spanish picking up the trampled cabbages on the side walk. Arthur got up and had a good start and by the end of the side walk, he was now a good distance away from them.

Arthur turned to a corner on the left when he bumped on someone hard, both of them crashed on the ground. Arthur felt the burning sensation in his chest, his head in a dizzy haze. He realized he might've hurt the person he bumped with. His vision was a bit blurry at first. Then his world slowly cleared.

"Are you okay?" Arthur looked down and saw the raven haired boy grimacing in pain.

 **II.**

 _Emrys Hotel,_

 _The Presidential Suite._

Morgana Pendragon was lying on her bed listening to her iPhone. She was skimming through her latest issue of Vogue magazine. People of Britain and the press called her the most amazing and one of the beautiful royals that ever walked this earth. She caused a lot of inspiration and influence in the field of fashion. People now treated her as a fashion icon following her outfits from head to toe. Morgana has a passion for clothes. She requested to her father that on her fourteenth birthday, he would give her a sewing machine so she could make her own clothes. With the help and instruction of Mable Smith, her fashion designer, she was able to create her own works and other fashion moguls and stylists started to pay attention to her work and even copied it.

Now at the age of seventeen, she just finished her High School years and was looking forward for University. She's been bombarded with many suitors both from actors and royalties. Although, she ran to her mother, Ygraine, for advice about boys, she hasn't spent her years with someone yet. Although she did have her eyes on one particular person, Percival Emrys, Prince of Avalon. She only met him three times, but the man was gentle and kind and seemed to be always happy. It stroked a lot of chords inside Morgana's heart.

"Your Highness." Tristan tapped on her door lightly.

Morgana jumped out of her bed. She tried to calm herself down. She had a knack not to show any signs of lying in front of Tristan because she knew that he could easily see right through it. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

"What is it?"

"Your Highness, There's been a security breach." Tristan started to move toward Arthur's room. "Let me call the Prince and I'll tell…"

"No wait!" Morgana practically shrieked. Tristan drew a suspicious glance to her direction.

"Is there something wrong, your highness?" Tristan could hear the television blaring inside the room.

"Arthur asked me awhile back that uh…He doesn't want to be bothered." Morgana maintained her composure. Tristan had worked under King Uther for almost thirteen years and treated Morgana and Arthur as one of his adopted niece and nephew. Morgana knew that Tristan could easily smell the lie simmering from her lips.

"But,"

"He told me he was too tired and he's probably sleeping by now. You know him." Morgan smiled nervously.

"I see. But this is too important your highness by the order of King Uther. There's four teenagers trespassing in the vicinity. I'm afraid I have to speak to him about what's going on." He turned around and headed toward the door.

"Okay, go on then."

He stared at her for a second then swung the door open and saw the television on. The bed was occupied by a man covered beneath the blankets and covers.

"Your highness?" Tristan called out in a hushed voice.

The man behind the blanket snored loudly.

"I don't think he wants to be bothered, Tristan." Morgana said. She's right. It was rude and inappropriate for someone to wake the royal family when the situation might not be that dangerous.

"My apologies, your highness." Tristan bowed toward Morgana.

"It's okay, Tristan. Just tell me what happened. Then I'll tell Arthur once he's awake." Tristan told her about the security breach and that she didn't have to worry because the trespassers were long gone and had been arrested. "Release all three of them and don't follow the other one." Morgana commanded. " _But_ _your highness,_ " Morgana cut him off. "No, I said, _release_ them. They didn't do any harm. They probably wanted to see Arthur so release them. Their parents are probably worried."

Tristan smiled and bowed again being dismissed by the princess. He said his goodbye and walked out of the door.

"You can get up now." Morgana threw a pillow to the man behind the blanket.

Lancelot giggled and laughed as he snaked his way out of the blankets and pillows. He grabbed the pillow Morgana threw at him and flung the thing back at her. Morgana shrieked. "You better stop or I'll call Tristan that we do have a security breach!"

"Hey, I'm your cousin. I'm royalty. That's hardly a security breach." Lancelot walked toward the mini bar and grabbed the nearest whisky pouring it into a glass and before gulping all of it. He poured another one.

"Isn't that illegal?" Morgana asked, now sitting at the foot of the bed.

"I'm twenty-one _Morgana_ …" Morgana gave him an accusing look. "…In six weeks." Morgana shook his head and smiled. "So, Arthur sneaked out?" He put the bottle down on the counter and moved toward Morgana. He sounded like he's surprised. "He never sneaked out on a trip before."

"Lance, you already know he's too arrogant and cocky to be put behind bars. He's spoiled and an _idiot_." Morgana said sarcastically. There was a brief silence. Then both young royals found themselves bursting in laughter. "He's going to be in so much trouble."

 **III.**

 _Ow!_ That's the first thing that escaped Merlin's lips. Whoever hit him should watch where he's going.

This was the second person he bumped through today. First, the security guard roaming the back alley while escaping the royal bodyguards and ended up chasing him down the street, and two, the blond haired man on top of him. The security guard was still probably looking for him but giving an advice of "watch where you're going" when he should've done the same way, made himself look foolish. He realized the young man on top of him was talking to him. Probably asking him if he was okay. Merlin opened his eyes and found the young man's blue eyes staring back at him. They were beautiful, and to think this man was _on top_ of him.

"I'm – I'm fine." Merlin muttered. It was silent but Merlin wasn't sure if the young man heard it but he did. The young man got up and offered a hand and Merlin took it. When they got up, the young man peeked around the corner and when he faced him; his expression was of pure horror and desperation.

"Don't ever tell them I'm here!" Arthur said, jumping behind the dumpster.

"What?" Merlin was confused but the blond haired guy was already behind the dumpster when two men stepped in front of him. Then another guy, fat and in his mid fifties, who caught up to them.

"Have you seen someone with a red hoodie sweater running around here? He's tall, maybe in his teens." The tallest of them asked.

Merlin didn't know whether to say yes or no. The man hiding behind the dumpster could be a potential dangerous criminal because this was New York and he might have a knife or a gun but if he did, he would shoot these three men on the spot.

"Yes." Merlin said. These men were from the hotel. He could tell by their uniform. Whoever they were pursuing came from that hotel as well. Maybe the guy hiding from the dumpster has the same idea as Maggie did.

"Do you know what direction he went to?"

"Over there." he pointed deep into the alley. The three men thanked him and ran. The security guard he bumped into suddenly appeared at a corner and found the three of them running and thought they were pursuing the same man. the security guard went along with them.

 **IV.**

Arthur sighed in relief. He stepped out behind the dumpster and walked toward the raven-haired boy.

"Thank You. That was close." He panted.

"Why were the guards chasing you anyway?" The boy asked.

"Well, um…I", Arthur couldn't find the right words.

"Were you trying to sneak in to see the royal family?"

"Uh…yeah. I was. Why'd you say that?"

"My friends and I have the same Idea. We got caught. I can say you too."

"Trying to see Morgana, I bet." _He's in love with my sister. Poor thing had no chance_.

"No. Prince Arthur." _Oh, right. He's gay for him._ "I'm with a couple of girls and they're probably caught by now."

 _Trying to see me, I bet. This person might be a crazy admirer_. he thought. He doesn't want to end up with a shark in a cage.

"You…uh, like Prince Arthur?" Arthur knew that he had countless female admirers and a legion of gay ones. In fact, he happened to love the gays and his admirers but most of the time they're crazy. He just hoped this one was not a member of that club.

"I'd rather be skinned alive. Of course not. I think the guy's a prat."

 _A prat? Has this kid lost his mind or got knocked over so hard? I am not a prat!_ "A prat? why would you utter such a thing?" Arthur asked annoyed.

"I dunno. He just…looks like a prat. and from what I heard, he is. I have a friend who knew all about him and I heard some pretty weird and troubling stuff." The boy smiled at him but Arthur didn't smile at all.

 _Well, I'm a teenager. It's called_ _'Rebellion'_ _. This is America. I thought kids rebel here more often and I am certainly not a prat! I'm…unprat! In fact, the opposite of prat! Which… I couldn't remember._ Arthur mentally stomped his feet.

"You know, those guys might come any moment, so we better get out of here." The boy looked behind him and saw no sign of the guards coming so he turned his heels and walked out toward the street. Arthur trailed behind him and making it his mission to let this kid know that he's certainly not a goddamn prat! No one talked to a prince like that especially a commoner. Everyone liked him! He's been on magazines and newspapers more than he can count and they called him charming and righteous! not _prat_! Handsome and charismatic, not _prat!_ Crown Prince and future King of the U.K., not a _fucking prat!_

Then he realized this kid did not recognize who he was. He couldn't say anything let alone blurt out his true identity. This kid might call the paparazzi parked outside his hotel building and in one swift call, they'll be swarming around him in minutes and he'll be facing his disappointed father and mother, with Morgana laughing at the sidelines.

"What's your name?" the boy asked while they're walking. "I'm Merlin, without the magic and funny business." Merlin chuckled and so did Arthur.

 _Funny coincidence, My name's Arthur_. Arthur needed a guide to navigate the city. If he could just tag along with this man and be friends with him, maybe he would survive the city.

"My name's Prince…A…Prince."

"Prince. Just Prince? not like Freddy Prinze Jr.? Prince with the 'z' instead of the 'c'? Prince somethin', somethin'?"

"No. Just Prince." He got a weird look from the boy but they continued walking.

"You got a _weird_ name. You must be living in royalty!" Merlin joked.

 _Speak for yourself, MERLIN._ Arthur hid a smile but Merlin caught it.

 **V.**

 _Hunith's Pots & Plants._

Hunith has been working in the flower shop alone for now. Her assistant has called in sick and Romero, her part-time college worker, had been in a recent accident and broke his leg. She's relieved to find the day easy and there's at least half a dozen people entered her shop. It's a good day to work today. No time to hassle and pick stuff in the storeroom. Hunith calmly took off the thorns of her new batch of roses that arrived around morning.

Usually, Merlin was there to help her. But since Maggie and Freya plucked him out of his bed to do God knows what, she was left alone to tend to her plants. George had been busy in the hospital due to the influx of children getting allergies and flu. She heard her front door open, the bell chimed.

"I'll be there in just a minute!" She called over. She plucked out the last thorn and put two dozen of roses in a small bucket of water. Hopefully, Mrs. Kendra, the old lady down the block, would buy these because she loved roses.

Hunith walked toward the customer who knelt on one knee on the ground rubbing his thumbs on the petals of a lily flower.

"Can I do anything for you, sir?"

"Yes. Come and give your brother a hug." The man got up and turned around to face her with a huge smile on his face.

"Gaius!" Hunith jumped and hugged his brother. It's been a long time since they last saw each other. Hunith wondered what her brother was doing in New York. Usually, he came during Merlin's birthday and in Thanksgiving. "It's good to see you! Why are you here?"

"Oh, just a vacation. You know I love New York." Gaius picked up the lily flower and gave it to his sister. "For you, my lady."

"Thank you. You know, you really don't have to call me that. It's been years!"

"Oh, sweet sister. You'll always be special to me. You and my dearest nephew." Gaius looked around the shop but it seemed he couldn't find his stubborn and charming nephew. "Speaking of which, where's Merlin?"

"His friends abducted him this morning. Some royal someone they say. He'll be home by dinner. Hopefully."

Gaius watched her sister walked up toward the counter and he followed her.

"Hunith, I need to speak to you." Hunith looked up, curious on what her brother was going to say. "And to Merlin." Gaius got her full attention. "Especially Merlin."

"Gaius, what's going on?"

"I believe it's time for the prince to come home, Hunith." Hunith dropped her lily flower and stared at Gaius in shock.

 **VI.**

 _Five minutes later…_

 _Rich Kid_. Merlin guessed. _The man he's with is a spoiled bratty rich kid with a posh British accent. No wonder why he's named Prince._ Merlin's day couldn't get any worse. _And he awfully looks very familiar. I swear I've seen him somewhere._

He could tell by just listening to him talk and the way he moved. And to top it all off, he's British. They haven't talked to each otherfor the past five minutes walking down the street. Merlin didn't even know why Prince came along with him. He was blabbering about how wonderful the street of Broadway looked like with hip shops and boutiques and about the people of New York on how scary they look like. He knew down the road were the Broadway musicals. He talked about how he hated show tunes which earned him an annoying look from Merlin.

"So, you're from England?" Merlin turned his head towards him.

"Yes. At Berkshire, west of London." Arthur said.

"Cool. So, why would you be sneaking into the hotel when you can do it at home?" Merlin thought everyone in England has seen the royals already. Judging by the look of the young man in front of him, he could be in one of the rich parties where royalties were invited. Surely, he had seen them once. He looked rich although the red hoodie could use some little fashion advice. "And not a better disguise to sneak inside the hotel." He pointed out.

"Um…" Arthur needed to think of a reason fast. "I…uh…I'm a guest there." Arthur thought that if he could make the lie a little bit true, then it won't be hard to remember them in the future.

"Wow that must be expensive." Merlin kept looking at his phone. Maggie or Freya or even Will should've texted him by now. Their escape plan worked. At least, for him. "So, you stayed there and decided to roam around and see the royal family?"

"Uh, Yes. Can I ask you a question?" Arthur stopped him.

"You just did buddy" Merlin chuckled.

"Why do you think that Prince Arthur is a prat?"

"You think he's not?" They started walking again.

"Well, I admit that he's perfect looks and higher aptitude," _Now you're just giving yourself compliments,_ "well um, he can sometimes be honourable. A little bit arrogant and usually head butts with his parents but he is caring towards others. Especially animals. He's brave and respect women… Sometimes. And he is an open minded carefree person and has a heart of courage" Arthur proudly presents himself to Merlin. Hopefully changing his mind on his views about the crown prince.

"You awfully knew a lot about this guy. It's like you knew who he is. You don't happen to be in love with him, are you? cause if you are, I'm fine with it." Merlin laughed. He noticed the other guy wasn't laughing.

"I'm not in love with him!" Arthur blurted out. "I uh…read it in the history books. In school."

"The guy's in the history books already? Wow. Wait, kids in school read about him?"

 _Well, Duh. The girls do._ Arthur pointed out.

Silence crept between the two of them. Arthur failed on convincing the young man. But he's not giving up. He suddenly realized this person didn't like him. A person aside from Morgana or his parents who actually couldn't stand him and not an admirer, did not like him. Since he started his teenage years, many had jumped in front of him to save him from an oncoming train or hopped on his royal bandwagon. Merlin, _funny name_ , would probably looked at him with interest and say, _"Do you think I'm an Idiot?"_ For once, Arthur liked the company. But he's not really sure what his reaction would be once he found out that he is a prince and the heir to a throne.

Merlin couldn't handle it from holding his tongue and just really needed to ask the question. "Why are you following me?" They stopped as Arthur gaped at him.

"I don't really know how to walk around the city. It's my first time here." Arthur said sheepishly.

 _Tourists._ Merlin hated them. "Can't you go back and meet your parents and travel along with them? Or hire a tour guide?" Merlin flashed a fake smile as he encouraged him to walk home.

"My parents don't want me to be alone and have fun around the city. They…well, I feel constrained in my own room so I sidled out." Arthur got the attention of the raven haired boy. "I decided to pad up to the royal quarters but obviously failed. But I decided to explore the city! without my parents pulling me back time to time. I always hated it when they tell me what to do or what not." Those were actual true words but Arthur made it sound like he has a bad childhood and an appealing family image.

"Brothers? sisters?" Merlin's tone became of sadness.

"I don't have one. I'm afraid I'm an only child." Lie. Arthur looked down on the ground.

Merlin actually felt sorry for the guy and could relate. He's also an only child and he knew what it felt like to be alone sometimes without the company of a sibling. He's thankful his mom and George were there to make it worth it. This boy had the opposite. "Well, _Prince_ , thank goodness you bumped into the right man." Arthur looked up, confused. "I'm going to show you the bright lights of New York City."

Arthur thought about his offer. "You?"

"What? I happened to be a lively and outgoing person. I just don't stalk a prince. I, for a fact, have a good track record in young lifestyle!" Merlin playfully punched Arthur's shoulder and giggled.

Arthur smiled. The raven haired boy in front of him was not bad at all. He treated him like he was normal. No "your highness" this and no "your highness" that. Just a commoner calling him by his first name. Or fake name in this situation. Just as long as he didn't utter the word of any insult against him because he'll be greatly offended. His image was too fragile and the last thing he wanted to hear was another person calling him names aside from Morgana. Arthur decided to accept his offer seeing he didn't have a choice. He'd gone this far and he'd like to see it through.

"Okay, then. Show me the _Big Apple._ "


	3. Show Me Big Apple

**Chapter Three**

SHOW ME BIG APPLE

 **I.**

 _New York City…_

 _Times Square._

Merlin showed Arthur what it's like to be a New Yorker. The sun still shined above the sky and Merlin wanted to let Arthur see all of Times Square. It was an impossible task to tour the entire city because the thought of it was just ridiculous given the amount of time they had. He didn't really know the boy that well, but he had a feeling of urgency to show him around the city and let him enjoy the place where he grew up in. As they were walking, they came across a street vendor selling hotdogs and corn dogs. Merlin speculated that Prince might not have a corn dog before, being a rich kid and all. Merlin approached the vendor and gestured Prince to follow him. He trailed along and realized they're making their way to a hot dog stand.

"Merlin, I'm not hungry." He found himself unable to move forward. Arthur never had a street food in his life. In fact, Uther doesn't want him to eat one. Looking back, Arthur realized he never did anything that he really decided on doing. Even though when he rebelled, he still listened to his father. His father always was the one to say something about his behavior and how he'll act in the future. He ended up apologizing, words he never meant because he's not sorry about it.

"Oh, come on! It's good. Have you ever had a corn dog before?" Merlin asked. He put two fingers up and asked for two corn dogs from the vendor. If Prince refused to eat it, then he'll eat the two.

"No I have not."

"This is an American classic. Try it." Arthur shifted in his position and decided to ignore his father's voice inside his head.

The man behind the stall held up two sticks of corn dog and Merlin took them. He gave the other one to Arthur and the other one he saved for himself. "Eat it. It's yummy." Merlin said with a smile as he took a bite out of his corn dog. Arthur observed Merlin as he closed his eyes and savored the sweetness and taste of this odd food. He felt like he's part of a crime. Arthur looked at it; stared at it more with a scowl, hoping there's no worms coming out of it. When he thought it was safe to eat, he took a very tiny bite, and his taste buds jumped into ecstasy. He took another bite and his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. Merlin could see that the young rich man enjoyed the food and heard him moaned.

"Do you like it?"

"Cor blimey! This is delicious!" Arthur nodded enthusiastically taking a large bite on the corn dog. Arthur finished it in a minute. He fished something in his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and took out a twenty dollar bill.

"You might want to slow down a bit…" Merlin gaped.

The vendor accepted the money with passionate hands, eyes glad that the man enjoyed his cooking.

"Four please." He asked the vendor with a corn dog still stuck in his mouth.

Merlin chuckled. "Is that all for you?"

"No, One's for you, the rest are for me." Arthur shook his head thinking Merlin was an idiot.

"Prat." Merlin mumbled but the word pierced through Arthur's ears. He could feel Merlin's smirk from where he stood. All Arthur could do was smile. The vendor handed him four sticks of corn dog and he gave the other one to Merlin. When Merlin looked up, Arthur was almost done with his first.

"And fat." Merlin muttered and Arthur glared at him.

 _This is going to be an interesting day_. Arthur mused.

 **II.**

Arthur Pendragon was having the time of his life. He got to live like a normal person out of the burdens of royal duties and etiquettes. He could act whatever he wanted, and he can do whatever he pleased all thanks to a raven haired boy with unusual big ears who made it all possible. Without him tipping off the security guards and offering to show him the best of New York, he would be utterly lost. Along their tour, Arthur had described what his parents were like, albeit in flowered details, and he envied the life that Merlin has at home.

Merlin tried to take Arthur's hoodie away, but he always demanded to keep it. Every time Merlin tried to take it off, Arthur always shot back and scowled at him. Merlin finally asked why and all Arthur can think of was because his parents' men were probably looking for him and he didn't want to get caught. Merlin seemed to have bought it as he pulled him to a nearby clothing store.

"You need to have a better disguise." Merlin pointed at his hoodie with distaste. Arthur thought a hoodie concealing his face and wearing the sunglasses would do the trick. "You need to be seen, but unseen. Get it?" Arthur just blinked at him, not understanding the words he just said.

Merlin pulled out a white shirt and a rich black cotton jacket with a hoodie embossed with round silver buttons accompanied by a red piping throughout. He paired it with light dark stylish pants. He pulled out a gray beret and some fake hipster glasses. He's turning Arthur into a stylish hipster, or at least a person with fashion sense. Arthur's shoes were fine and he's willing to pay in order to help the boy out with his emergency credit cards. He could hear his mother's stern voice at the back of his head as he swiped the cards on the machine. _It's for a good cause_. Merlin thought.

The moment Arthur went out of the dressing room, Merlin was caught off guard on how handsome he was. He noticed his perfect shoulders, His piercing blue eyes, and he looked adorable with his glasses on. He stood there like an Abercrombie & Fitch model and it took Merlin's breath away. This man was hand made by the gods themselves. He could pull out being a celebrity or a royal prince! Now, he's kind of out there. He made him looked commendable. But Merlin ruled not to say anything about it. He noticed his mouth was moving but Merlin was lost in thought and he couldn't hear what he was saying.

"Merlin, Merlin." Arthur called out, snapping his fingers in front of him.

"What?"

"I said now we're the same. You have your glasses I have mine." Arthur smiled. Merlin felt his knees weaken a bit. _This boy is not bad at all._ "What do you think?"

"Prince, you look appalling." Merlin joked and crossing his arms.

"Merlin let me tell you something. You are the kind of person who, when one first meets you, one doesn't like you. But when one gets to know you better, one absolutely hates you." Arthur glared at him. He rested his hands on his hips.

"Fine. You look dashing." Merlin said sarcastically and walked toward him. Merlin was telling the truth. He did look dashing and he did not appreciate the knot on his belly tightening as he took the steps toward the blonde boy. All Merlin could think about was stare and gape at him but that would seemed weird.

"Thank you. I must say, I quite like it. I didn't even know you have a sense of style." Arthur smirked.

"Dollop-head." Arthur hit Merlin's right shoulder lightly.

"Don't call me that. I'm not a dollop-head." Arthur's plea sounded like a whine.

Arthur checked himself out on a mirror. He barely was recognizable as the prince at all. He looked good and he wondered whether this would fit as a disguise. Finally, all those times wearing suits and shirts paid off. He looked _normal_. He's like any normal child of an ordinary family. A normal teenager. He smiled to himself. Most of the women around town would be looking for a guy in a suit. His blond hair would be covered by the beret and no one has seen him wear glasses before so it would take people a really closer look to recognize him. _Like Clark Kent._ Plus, the clothes he's wearing was a good disguise. It made him look out there but unseen. He could blend into the New York façade and its crowd with ease. If Morgana has failed to keep Tristan out of his room, they're probably searching for him by now. This disguise was the perfect cover. Almost perfect.

"I'll pay for those on the counter." Merlin informed him.

"Pay? No. I'll do it." Arthur pulled out his wallet but Merlin stayed adamant. Arthur put his left hand on Merlin's shoulder, gripped it lightly and looked him on the eye "Merlin, as a token of my appreciation for picking out this outfit, I will pay the price. There are plenty of stores out there left where you'll pay for me." Arthur said. When those words came out of his lips, Merlin forgot to breathe. Arthur turned around to the counter, and Merlin checked if he was being obvious around the boy.

"Man. Your bodyguards will have a hard time looking for you." Arthur just snorted at him. "I feel like I'm a part of a conspiracy or a crime or something where everything's a secret." Merlin whispered on the last part.

Arthur looked at himself on the mirror once again. "Oh Merlin, you have no idea." In contrast, people on his side might interpret this as kidnapping.

 **III.**

Arthur bought an "I love New York" slogan plastered on a white shirt on the street. He was so delighted that nobody took a second glance when he passed by. People think he's normal! Merlin escorted him across Times Square with annoyance because of Arthur's constant demand, ordering him to get some things, which made him looked like a servant. He's also amused because of how dumb Arthur tried to navigate his way in the crowded street. He took a picture of him standing at the center of Times Square, posing with both hands in his pockets, and smiled from cheek to cheek behind the Times Tower.

Arthur pulled Merlin toward the Disney store and he felt like a kid again, admiring the toys on the shelves. He went and bought a Woody doll and Merlin learned that _Toy Story_ was one of Arthur's favorite movies. He told him how his father used to watch it with him. But Arthur said it with so much sadness. Then, he later recited some lines Merlin didn't even remember being in the movie. Merlin couldn't help but feel happy when kids started running past them and were all laughing and giggling. While they were in line, Merlin watched the kids play. He noticed one woman playing with a wand in front of a little girl. She's acting like a fairy god mother because she did the "bippity, boppity, boo!" sway on her wand and the little girl giggled, her voice were sweet music to his ears, when the tip of the wand touched her nose. It was cute. Someday, he'll have a son or a daughter. Or maybe both. Arthur caught him looking at the kids.

"You have a younger sibling?"

"No. I don't. But I would love to." Merlin answered. The kids were all loud while the Disney music blared in the background.

"Don't. They're a pain." Arthur chuckled.

Merlin laughed, too. Then, Merlin cocked his head to the right. "Wait, I thought you're an only child."

 _Shit. Okay just play it smooth._ "I am. I can imagine what it's like to have a sibling." Arthur saved himself. Merlin just nodded and continued to look around the kids in the store.

"Still, it is nice to have company."

Arthur and Merlin grabbed a cup of coffee down the nearest Starbucks store. Both of them sat for a few minutes trying to take a break from walking around and watching street performers performed on the streets. This was what Arthur came here to do. To watch street performers in New York and do things here that he couldn't do back at home. It fascinated him how talented these people were. After they're done sipping coffee, they stepped inside a shoe store where Arthur learned that Merlin has a passion for them. They stayed there for almost half an hour, the sun wassetting in from the horizon.

"You sure have a passion for shoes." Arthur teased.

"Well, Prince, I've had enough of them to wear each one for three weeks." Arthur was quite surprised. Of course, he wouldn't say how much shoes he has in his closet. He could wear each one for almost five months. But he doesn't want to give Merlin a serious heart attack.

Arthur has found his way warming up to the funny and charming raven haired boy. He wasn't a bad tour guide without the annoying history lessons about the landmark. The raven haired boy grabbed him to all kinds of places. He realized he's been laughing more, he's been smiling more and Merlin could pick up a very boring conversation into an engaging one. He's cheered Arthur for the past hour telling jokes, which were very funny and some bad ones that Arthur couldn't help but laugh by how the boy delivered it. He noticed how smug Merlin was sometimes. It made Arthur forgot who he was. Sometimes, he ordered Merlin to do something but then realized he's not a prince. He wished more that the day would be slower so that he could spend more time with the company of this young New Yorker. They spent their dinner eating a hot dog bun on the street of Times Square telling stories about their childhood. Of course, Arthur twisted his stories to avoid suspicion. A piece of newspaper accidentally flew to Merlin's direction with his face plastered on it, which he snatched from the air, crumpled it, and threw it in the bin. Later on, as they were done eating their hotdogs, Arthur asked him if he has anyone special at home.

"Girlfriends?" There was a brief silence, and then Merlin just shook his head. "Come On. You must have had one." Merlin shook his head again, his cheeks turned bright red. Then, Arthur realized he might be saying the wrong words. Merlin was with girls he described were having an unhealthy obsession to him and there's a chance Merlin was part of it and was lying to him earlier that he wasn't interested on the prince. He said they weren't there for Morgana. Arthur wouldn't let go that not everyone liked him. "Boyfriends, then?" This earned a silence. A _yes_. "Ahh."

"Are you going to run away? I'm giving you the chance now." Merlin said in a shaky voice and left Arthur puzzled.

"Why would I do such a thing?"

"Half of the guys I talked to about my…you know, either jumped off a cliff or pointed a gun on their head." Merlin talked about it like it's some kind of a joke but Arthur thought it's not funny.

"Merlin, you are ace in my book. Sexuality or even race does not matter to me. I enjoy your company and you are a great person to talk with." Arthur said in a firm voice. "I talk to people who I want to talk to regardless of their preference. Besides, I have a cousin, who I'm close with, likes women AND men."

Merlin noticed they stopped walking. Arthur smiled at him and Merlin smiled back. "Thank you. That's nice of you to say."

"Well, consider me now as your friend. Even though I only met you in a day, I am astonished on how fast I got to know you. You are absolutely a fantastic companion." Arthur offered a hand. Merlin took it and shook it. "Me, too." Merlin said.

"Honestly, if I ever get stuck on an island, you'll be the second person I want to be with since you can easily carry a conversation."

"And who's the first?"

"My ego." Both men looked at each other.

"Who was your cousin?" Merlin asked after their laughter died down a bit.

'Why? Are you interested?" Arthur joked and Merlin slapped his arm. "His name's Lancelot."

At the corner to the left behind Arthur's back, the guy wearing as Woody took pictures with other tourists with animated actions and poses. Merlin has been searching for him when he found out Prince liked Toy Story and wanted him to have a picture with him.

"Prince, look. It's Woody!" Merlin said it like a kid who just saw his present.

Merlin grabbed Arthur's hand and both of them ran toward him. It took them long enough to catch up to Woody and Merlin tapped on his shoulder and gave him three bucks to take a picture with Arthur. Merlin turned around when he saw Arthur flushed, blushing. It looked like he's been electrocuted. He's probably too excited on seeing Woody. Merlin thought Arthur may not had realized on what a kid he was. He's like a six year old in a young man's body. He moved closer to Woody trying to take the picture. He forced a smile and looked straight at the camera as the phone flashed. Arthur thanked the mascot guy who suddenly started talking to him in Spanish. The mascot guy walked away to entertain some young couple who wanted to take his picture.

"I didn't know Woody speaks Spanish!" Arthur laughed.

"Well, you look good again with Woody this time." Merlin gave him the camera. "You seemed a bit flustered."

"Uh, nothing. Just Nothing." Well there was something. Right at the moment Merlin grabbed his hand, a shock of electricity bolted throughout his body. It felt like he pulled every vessel and every tissue. While they were running, Arthur couldn't help but felt so confused on what's going on around him. Merlin's hand was soft and tender. It felt…great. But Arthur shook those feelings away. He was surprised when Merlin pulled him toward Woody. He blamed it with the adrenaline.

The two of them walked passed a chocolate store and Merlin dashed toward it without hesitation and ogled outside the window pane. _AnnaBelle chocolates_ were on display. Inside were nice pieces of mini-boxed size chocolate. On top of it was a work of art. Merlin loved art. That's the reason why he loved _AnnaBelle_ because every time he opened a box, there's different art work on top of every chocolate. He loved the art work of the Eifel Tower or the artwork inspired from the roaring twenties. The big blocks of chocolate would have a replica of Edward Hopper's paintings or even the Mona Lisa. It made every bite more of a special one. They even made cakes where they paint you on it and they made designs of Gucci bags made out of chocolate and tiny shoes, which were Merlin's favorites because he loved shoes.

Arthur walked and stood beside him. He could tell that Merlin wanted the chocolate in front of him.

"You want to buy it?" Arthur asked.

"Are you kidding? It's expensive. Plus, my mother threatened to cancel my credit card if I ever bought another _AnnaBelle chocolate_ within this month but I want people to buy it for me. It made it more special." Merlin smiled at the thought of someone giving him these chocolates. Hunith has been giving him chocolates during his birthday and Christmas and Will and Freya saved money and bought him these chocolates two times a year. Maggie constantly gave him one once a month and asked a favor later on. Not that he's complaining but it's like everyone wanted him to be fat.

They went into two more stores and they were enjoying themselves again laughing at each other's stories when they happened to come across a Broadway store. Merlin went inside and Arthur has no choice but to follow, sighing on the way. He hated show tunes.

"Andy!" Merlin greeted the old man behind the desk.

"Oh! My charming and favorite customer! And who's this?" A British accent. Arthur froze. The man picked up his glasses and put them on. Hopefully he won't recognize Arthur. "You awfully look familiar, young man. Have we met?" The old man asked.

"I'm afraid not." Arthur held his breath. The man looked surprised and a smile crept on his lips. "Ah, an Englishman." When the old man turned his attention to Merlin, Arthur exhaled.

"So what brings you two here? Merlin, do you want another poster? I could give you one. Maybe even give one to your boyfriend here." Andy teased while trying to make Merlin blushed. It worked. The old man pulled out a rolled poster out under his desk.

"No! He's not my boyfriend. We're not together. He's just a friend." Merlin explained. But it came out more like a blabber. Andy flicked his eyes on both of them. Left and Right. Left and Right.

"If you say so."

"Andy, do you have a cheaper ticket for the _Book of Mormon_?" Merlin asked in a whisper. It sounded like he didn't want Arthur to know what he's asking.

"For the last time, Merlin, The expensive ones are the only one available. That show had been almost sold out for the next six months. Cheaper ones are all gone. Ask Hunith to buy it for you. If she can afford a box."

"My mother said this is the seventh time of the year I've watched a Broadway show. She told me I need to save money." Merlin tried to convince Andy but he knew that Andy couldn't do anything.

"Well, I'm sorry, son. I don't have anything. Most of the shows are sold out. I'm afraid I can't do anything." Andy put his hand on the back of Merlin's hand and tried to cheer him up by giving him the soundtrack of _The Book of Mormon_ for free. Arthur had heard about the show. Some of his friends who had seen it thought it was hilarious take on a satirical view of religion. Merlin took the CD with delight.

Merlin and Arthur walked out the door. They can see they were both exhausted from running and walking around Times Square but it was the most fun Arthur have had in a long time. His mission was a success. He escaped his duties for a day and took a breather. Morgana won't believe the things he's done today. Of course, she'll be jealous.

"Too bad," Merlin came up behind him, "If Andy had some tickets we could've watched the show. I've seen it twice now. It's good."

"I hate show tunes." Arthur confessed harshly.

"You hate show tunes? It's part of the New York Experience, you know." Merlin nudged at him. Arthur just smiled and looked away. "You're an odd British fellow."

 **IV.**

Arthur and Merlin walked together down a still busy times square. Although Arthur had only visited this little part of the city, it was worth it. There was so much to see but Arthur didn't have that much time left. It was dark already. Arthur stood at the middle of the area in front of the ruby-red stairs of the TKTS booth. He looked around and felt amazed by the dazzling lights of the city. Any moment now, the confines of his cell would swallow him; a room where his crown lived and his future written all over it. He didn't want to go back. He wanted to stay here but freedom was seeping away.

"Prince, are you okay?" Merlin asked, trying to discern Arthur's expression.

"Tomorrow I'll be back in my father's grip. Out here, I don't get controlled." A pang of sadness crossed Arthur's face. He tried to smile at Merlin who stared at him intently.

"Come," Merlin offered a hand. "There's more for you to see. It's one of my favorites." Arthur took his hand and entwined it with his. It was a support of a friend. Arthur appreciated it and somehow couldn't let go of Merlin's hand. Arthur had no clue where Merlin was taking him until they reached the street in front of _Minskoff Theatre_ , Home of the Lion King. "I have a friend who can get us in. I won't let you leave without seeing a Broadway musical even though you hate it. Give this a chance."

"If my ears started bleeding, we better get the hell out of there." Arthur smirked.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "I promise."

Arthur and Merlin sneaked in from the side door. Will's uncle, Thomas, who owned the building and the production, loved Hunith's flowers more than anything and he bought them for him and his partner once every two weeks. They're about to be married in a couple of months and as a gift, Hunith gave them free privileges on their wedding, and even volunteered to decorate the entire chapel, which made the couple happy. As an exchange, he decided to give them a VIP pass on the theatre and Merlin has seen it more than a couple of times now and were good friends with the actors on stage. Thomas greeted the two back stage.

"Merlin, you brought a date!" Thomas gasped. Surprised that he brought someone. His surprised turned to confusion. "Have I seen you somewhere before? You look like you're someone I knew but just can't put a finger on it."

"He's been getting that a lot" Merlin answered. "And Thomas, he's just a friend."

"That's what they always say." Thomas winked at Arthur and Arthur just chuckled under his breath.

"Anyways uh…he wanted to see the musical but he couldn't get the tickets tonight since he'll be gone any time soon." Merlin explained though he's eyes was trained on an actor carrying the props for the giraffe.

"Since I loved that art work you did for my little pooch Georgina, I've been hanging it in front of the living room and my neighbors loved it! So, I'll give you the seat on the second balcony. It's a bit crowded tonight. I Hope you won't mind…I mean if you two are up for somethin', somethin'!" Thomas hushed and then giggled but Merlin slapped him on the arm and glared at him hoping he would melt away from the cracks of the floor below. Arthur was entertained. Thomas knew no boundaries but he's the gayest guy you could ever find, gayer than his dog Georgina.

"Okay, Okay! Fine. The second balcony is not that crowded but…"

Arthur coughed and interrupted him. "Uncle Thomas, if I may interrupt, I want to pay you for the seat. It's nice of you to give it for free…" Uncle Thomas was surprised at the accent. His face light up to him.

"Oh, no need. I'm doing this for Merlin. You are the first date he's ever brought to me. I've been hassling this kid to find a boyfriend…" Merlin tried to shut him up by calling his name but Thomas ignored it and continued talking. "But my! My! He brought a British guy! I'm so proud of you."

"Uncle Thomas!" Embarrassment and annoyance filled Merlin's Face, his big ears turned red, and his cheek inflamed with frustration. Arthur couldn't help but let out a laugh and turned his head on the opposite direction so Merlin won't see it. Uncle Thomas started talking again, to embarrass Merlin, but it seemed he was oblivious that the boy in front of him was shooting daggers all over his body and was devising a way to open his chest and ripped his heart out. Arthur decided to save him.

"Uncle Thomas, It's a pleasure to meet you. I am honored to take the seat you gave for my date and I. I've seen The Lion King many times and I am delighted to see it on stage. I'm sure you've worked hard on bringing this production and if I ever come to New York, I would gladly like to meet you for some cup of tea." Uncle Thomas was swayed by the charming boy in front of him that glowed like sunlight, his blond hair swayed gently and his smile addicting. He found himself nodding and smiling along as Arthur gripped his hand in a soft, gentle handshake and he felt like he was about to be cooked in a two hundred degree heat. Merlin thought he looked like a nitwit gaping in front of Arthur.

"Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Whatever you say." Thomas babbled. A pause. Both parties got their tongue cut not knowing what to say next. Then the lights flashed.

"Show time. Um…turn off your phones and there would be refreshments in the lobby in case you two are hungry. Enjoy yourselves!" Thomas said in a hushed voice. He waved at them and put one of his finger on his lips as a signal to be silent. He walked away. Arthur fished out his phone and switched it off.

"I think we should go and take a seat." Said Merlin, his eyes full of embarrassment.

 **V.**

 _Emrys Hotel,_

 _The presidential suite._

Morgana has been pacing for about half an hour now trying to call him. Her brother had been gone for more than six hours and she tried to save him from Tristan's army who bombarded her with questions of where the prince was.

Tristan went in the suite a couple more times after the last time and by the third time, he found out he was tricked by the prince when he saw Lancelot in his room asleep. Morgana was too late to warn him of Tristan's approach. She tried to convince him that Arthur was out of his room and was about to return in a few minutes but Tristan would wait. An hour later, the prince never came.

Tristan called in a city wide search for the lost prince and trying to make sure that the word never got out to the piranhas below. But one money hogging bum from the hotel staff dropped down the news below and the school of Arthur fish scattered towards their car hoping they would find the missing royal. Now with the news out, Uther and Ygraine would hear from it in D.C. It was an Easter egg hunt nightmare. Morgana wished Arthur good luck. Lancelot heard about his location and asked Morgana if he'll go after his cousin which Morgana happily agreed. With Lancelot out there, Arthur would be fine.

This would be a frenzy to the paparazzi below, which taking a picture from the prince was worth a thousand of Euros and if they could sell more of those, they would end up with half a million by the year. They're hoping the prince was wasted somewhere on some night club.

But the prince was far away from the annoying techno music blasting throughout the dance floor. Or to the almost half-naked women and shirtless guys going at it in front of the public eye. No, the prince was simply enjoying the familiar sounds of the rattle, the beat of the drum, and the 200 pound black woman singing with a loud, rich voice to the Circle of Life.

The man sitting three chairs away from him, a news editor, recognized him and dialed someone on his phone with a speed of a cheetah to gather the witch hunt party to Minskoff Theatre. During the end of the show, Arthur switched his phone on to check if anyone called. Morgana left a lot of missed calls and a message saying the sharks were going to arrive at his location any minute.

 **VI.**

"I might've been daft on saying musicals are abominable. That was _brill_!" Arthur raised his hands up in excitement. "In fact, I want to see it again!"

"You lived in England and you have the west end theatres there but you never entered those doors?" Merlin asked.

They slipped out of the back stage and away from the gathering crowds at the lobby. The show did amazing again and Arthur enjoyed every minute of it. He grew up in a Disney filled home because of Morgana so he watched a lot of the movies. Uther Pendragon usually refused to let him watched those and instead, let him stay in the library and study about world history. This earned him an argument with his wife on how to treat their son. Ygraine won. But Arthur never saw a musical in his life. Uther hated it. He is a non-musical lover and all Arthur could hear in the palace was the soft humming of his mother and the television blaring his favorite Disney movies. Though, he skipped on the musical parts. Now that he saw one, he couldn't help but want more.

"No. I haven't. But when I return, I'll watch all of them." They're far away from the crowds. Arthur was still on alert if ever the paparazzi started showing up and taking pictures in front of him.

Merlin took a peek behind him and made sure he wasn't followed. During their stay in the theatre, Merlin had been singing along to the music in his head when he felt a sting at the back of his neck. He slapped it and unconsciously turned around and caught a glimpse of the same handsome young man in a trench coat sitting twenty feet away from him. The man glanced to his direction and Merlin turned away.

 _Can this be a coincidence again? First the airport and the hotel…now this? This can't be a coincidence. They had to be following me around._ Merlin slowly became paranoid. Through half of intermission, he convinced Arthur not to get up for a second time to get refreshments and left him alone again and told him about the man sitting at the top of the balcony. Arthur seemed to believe him because he tensed up and offered to leave but Merlin just asked him to stay put and not panic out of fear they might get his attention.

"Is the man still following us?"

Merlin looked around. There was no sign of the man with a trench coat. "I don't think so." He was gone, for now.

The two of them sauntered toward the side of the road trying to hail a cab. After the fourth cab passed them, one noticed their signal and approached them. A young kid, not more than twenty years old, greeted them. At the lobby of the theatre, chaos arrived with a legion of screaming young girls and flashing lights on its wake.

"Did you enjoy the tour?"

"Yes, I did." Arthur opened the door. He grimaced once he saw the interior of the cab. It would be just a ten minute drive to his hotel. He could make it in one piece although something aweful reeked in there. He turned to face Merlin typing something on his phone. "Aren't you coming in?"

"My mom's shop is just a walking distance from here. She's probably still there. I could go home with her."

"Okay. I appreciate it for showing me around. You're a great company, Merlin." Arthur put his hand on his arm which was dangling on Merlin's shoulders. The touch sent shivers down Merlin's spine.

"It's not too bad being accompanied by a rich kid except you kept bossing me around most of the time." Both of them laughed. "You're meter's running. You better go. It's good to meet you, Prince."

Arthur was about to sit in the car when he decided to trust his gut instinct. He didn't want to ask him this before during the intermission but since he's staying in New York for a few days; he might as well meet up with Merlin to show him around. He got accustomed to his insults and straight forwardness. He delved into his back pocket and got his phone out. He got out of the cab and told the driver to wait for a minute.

"Can I have your number?" Arthur asked rather shyly. The sentence can be misinterpreted in so many ways but Arthur has good intentions.

"What?" Merlin was taken aback by the question.

Arthur shifted awkwardly on where he stood. "I've been thinking. I'm going to stay here for a few days and if you want to…"

"Sure." Merlin interjected without Arthur finishing his sentence. Arthur was surprised that he even said yes. Both of them exchange their numbers and said their goodbyes.

As Arthur relaxed on his seat, he switched his phone open and leered on the numbers written across it. He burst into laughter when he read the caller ID. On it, Merlin wrote " _ **Wizard Merlin**_ ". He put the number to his favorites. Arthur turned his attention to the things happening outside his window. He didn't understand the feeling he was having right now. The feeling of happiness with something he couldn't really described. Because of the jet lag and the tiring tour around Times Square, Arthur shrugged it to the back of his mind. He contemplated on whether to tell Merlin or not about his true identity. Then, he decided against it.

Meanwhile, down the street next to the theatre, Merlin gaped over his phone. A boy asked for his number. He's been staring at it for a long while and he hasn't moved an inch on where he stood. In school, he never dreamt of anyone having an interest on him. Most of the guys he found cute were homophobic or taken. Worse, they're straight. Merlin didn't know if this guy liked boys but he doubted that theory. His knuckles almost turned white as he gripped his phone and he burst into a wide smile. A boy asked for his number! Although he did admit that 'Prince' was a very handsome and charming guy that even Uncle Thomas fell in love with him yet sometimes arrogant and cocky. He didn't know when he'll see him again, if he ever see him again. He realized that he has the image of the cute blonde haired guy with Woody on his phone. He pulled up the image and sent it to him with the message, 'a post card for the day'.

Then, not less than thirty seconds later, Arthur replied.

'Thanks. See you tomorrow'.

Merlin couldn't remember how he ended up on the ground because it felt like it's trying to swallow him whole. He'll see him tomorrow. This day turned out to be not bad at all. He shuffled down the street still staring longingly at his phone, Times Square buzzing with life behind him.

But from a distance, parked in a hidden spot was a small black SUV. Standing beside it was the man in the trench coat, following Merlin's every move. "He is on the move. Don't lose sight of him. His highness wants him to come home safely." The man talked to the radio on his hand. "And don't let him see you again."

 **VII.**

A big crowd had gathered around the Minskoff Theatre. A herd of photographers and screaming teenage girls were waiting for someone inside. One news crew from that gossip talk show has arrived along with other curious onlookers wondering who important was inside that caused this chaos. Merlin asked the nearby person who was standing idly by the side walk.

"Someone saw the prince inside." Merlin was surprised. He was in there not long ago but he never noticed a group of bodyguards standing on any of the private box. Uncle Thomas would tell him about it since he couldn't keep his mouth shut whenever a high profile celebrity entered the building. He planned on telling Maggie and Freya about this. They'd probably go crazy and told him that he should've search for the heir.

The smell of food reached Merlin's nostrils. His stomach growled. He let his nose guided him to its location. He saw a hot dog stand not far away from him and he walked closer fishing out his wallet. Merlin felt the rough leathery surface of it as he remembered who gave this to him. It was Uncle Gaius. Gaius lived in Avalon and came to visit him when he was thirteen for the first time. He only heard of him from his mother. Since then, Gaius had been telling him all about the country much to Hunith constantly interrupting him on some point. Every birthday, Gaius always came. He brought presents along with him and Merlin always treasured them because they all came from Avalon. The leather wallet he's now carrying held a great value to Merlin because it was the first gift he ever received from a relative. It also symbolized that by allowing Merlin to have a wallet, he could be responsible on spending his _own_ money. But, that didn't really end well when he spent it for those chocolates he really loved. But, Hunith still kept him on the budget and it's been a learning experience for him to watch out on his spending. Although, he still got tempted to spend all of it.

He realized he only got five bucks in his wallet. Merlin cursed to himself. Then, someone knocked him over to the side. He slammed his head on the table where the "I Love New York" shirts lie. The table tipped over to the side and its contents fell out. The vendor shrieked. He hit his back on the ground hard. He tried to get up but he was unable to. A burning sensation overwhelmed him especially on his forehead and the world around him was on a haze. A man in front of him was looking at him trying to wrestle his wallet out of his grip. Merlin gripped hard.

"Give me your fucking wallet!" The man screamed at him. He had a tighter grip on his wallet and he managed to pull it away.

 _No!_ Merlin screamed. He couldn't let the man have it.

All Merlin could think about was Gaius. He gave him that wallet and now it's going to be in the hands of a criminal. Merlin gathered the strength to pull himself up. But it was mostly at the hands of two strangers who helped him. He struggled to walk. He started running to the thief's direction. He raised his right hand and touched his forehead and all he could see was deep red. He was bleeding.

"Stop!" Merlin cried out. The thief struggled on passing through the crowd. Most of them parted ways and not even helping. Merlin cursed at them.

He pressed his palm over his forehead as he gave chase. He screamed for the man to stop. People were looking at them as they ran across Times Square. Merlin could hear the whistles from the cops telling the thief to freeze. Merlin mentally thanked them for helping him out.

Right in front of him, he saw the man go down in a bang. A large brutish man smashed toward him and tackled him on the ground. It was the same man he saw in the airport. The thief grimaced in pain, clutching his arm close to his chest. He hit his head pretty hard on the concrete floor. The man in the trench coat was standing beside him, knelt down, and picked up Merlin's wallet from the man's hand.

The paparazzi were clearly amused by the spectacle. A few of them took pictures but most of them didn't care what was happening in front of them. They decided the most important thing was taking a photo of the prince inside the theatre. Merlin's vision cleared up little by little. He saw a few hundred onlookers as the cops pushed them back away. One of the cops held Merlin up when he noticed the boy was about to faint. Merlin clutched the man's shoulders thankful for his presence.

"Are you okay?" _Do I look like I'm okay?!_ Merlin rolled his eyes at the stupidity of the question.

The man on the trench coat swiftly walked toward him and held him in his arms, his wallet was on his grip. An emergency ambulance parked nearby drove toward the commotion when one of the cops called in that someone was injured, which included the thief who had a broken wrist. The trench coat man led him to the ambulance and Merlin sat on the stretcher. One of the paramedics started to check on his wound and for any concussion. Merlin hoped that it wasn't serious because he didn't want to have another talk with his mother and George tonight.

"The Prince is wounded." the man in the trench coat talked to the CB radio on his hand. Merlin recognized a bit of a French accent in the man's voice. "Isolde, I said the prince is wounded. He's been treated right now." Merlin heard parts of their argument. A woman on the other line seemed very pissed at him.

"Oui, Oui. He's safe." The man looked at him, stepped off the the side, and he started speaking French, his voice waned as he went farther. It dawned on him. _Prince?! Are they high? Where did they come from? Why did they call him a prince?_

When Merlin was chasing the thief, the hulking guy came out of nowhere. These two men were following him and he had no idea why. He tried to discern why the man called him 'prince' or maybe they were talking about 'Prince' and these were the bodyguards looking for him. But it all got more confusing when three black cars appeared out of the blue and more men in black started to circle around the ambulance. They're like the secret service and they kept pushing the people away from the scene and hounded him.

The paparazzi got more interested into the scene. They started to take pictures but Merlin didn't know what they're going to do with it. The scene was only a robbery and he bet it won't even be televised on the local news. Then, he realized they were taking pictures of him _._ Whoever they thought could summon this much security must be important and they're not taking any chances on missing a story that could potentially be big or an expensive set photos. There were at least twelve men in black standing around the ambulance and on the scene.

The cops cuffed the thief and escorted him toward the police car. The look on his face was disappointment. Disappointed that he got caught. Well, Merlin thought he was stupid enough to rob him in a very public place. Of course he'll get caught. With that much people in an area, some of them could stop him but this was New York. People just part to give way. _Stupid_.

The paramedic was almost done patching him up. The man in the trench coat was talking to someone on the phone and began to approach him. "Your highness," Merlin shot him a confusing glare. _Did he just call me 'your highness'?_ Merlin was hearing things. He did knocked his head pretty bad. "Your mother is on the phone." Merlin stared at the stranger indifferently. Merlin hesitated but took the phone and put it close to his ears.

"Mom?"

"Merlin! Are you okay? The men said you are hurt pretty bad." Merlin half-expected his mother on the other line but he was still surprised that she heard her voice.

"Mom, I'm okay. They just finished patching me up. They said it's nothing serious."

"What the hell are you doing anyway? Chasing after that man! You could get yourself seriously hurt!" Merlin appreciated his mom's concern but he didn't want to hear another sermon. He felt like his head was about to explode any moment as the situation got really confusing.

 _So this man knew my mother and they're following me? Why? This doesn't make any sense._ Merlin tuned out his mother's sermon over the phone and tried to make the things around him make more sense because his head has been pounding like crazy. He was lost in the confusion. Men in black suits both with weapons on their holsters appeared around him. The men following him around. His mother's involvement in all of this. They didn't connect.

"Mom, how did you know the man who you talked to a while ago?" His mother fell silent.

A moment later, his mother answered. "Gaius is here." _Uncle Gaius?_ Merlin never expected him to be this early for his birthday, which was in a few months.

"Gaius?" Merlin knew that his uncle is a well-respected man in Avalon. He sometimes went with a couple of bodyguards on a trip during his birthday or one of his business trips. One of the reasons why Merlin liked Gaius so much was because he worked for the King of Avalon. Merlin always has a fascination of their government. There's few to none European monarchs who were still in control over the land. Gaius may have sent these guys for him. He knew Gaius could be over protective sometimes since Merlin was his only nephew but this was too much. _Twelve bodyguards?_ Now, that's crazy. Why would he need to send twelve body guards for? He's a nobody.

"Merlin, just come home. They guy you talked to, Elyan, he can take you home." Merlin took a glance at Elyan, the man on the trench coat.

"One more thing mom. I think they've been addressing me as _'your highness'_ but I might just be hearing things." Merlin chuckled. Hunith was silent on the other line and he could hear her sigh. There was something in the air that seeped with dread and Merlin did not like that at all.

"Listen, son, when you get home, we need to discuss something. I'll see you in an hour. Don't be frightened by those guys. They're a friend of Gaius." Merlin relaxed from his mother's assuring words.

But what stuck out of their conversation was the seriousness of it. His mother has something important to tell him and the tone suggested that he may not like it. He hoped it didn't knock him off his feet.


	4. Percival

**Chapter Four**

PERCIVAL

 **I.**

 _18 years ago,_

 _Ealdor Castle, Avalon._

The little prince in his red pajamas had wandered along the dark hallways of the castle, unable to sleep. His bed bothered him for the past hour and he decided to stroll around the hallways. Most of the servants around the castle were all asleep. He wasn't allowed to be out of bed past eight by the order of his father but the little prince had sneaked out of his bed chambers a few times now and he was never caught.

In this time of hour, he would visit the study hall to read his favorite children's book, _The Relatives Came._ The little prince loved the book because it showed what family was. He usually let his nanny or his father read the book but it's been a while now since they've last read it. It sometimes put him to sleep, not because it was boring but the narration of it.

He opened the grand wooden door leading into the hall. He noticed that the fire was alight in the fireplace. Someone else was in the room. A beautiful woman was sitting on the burgundy red sofa reading a book. She heard the door opened and glanced to his direction. She smiled at him.

"Can't fall asleep?" She asked. She closed his book and ushered him to come closer.

The little prince awkwardly moved toward the woman on the sofa. He's usually alone when he visit the library. He grabbed his favorite book from the lower shelf and sat next to the pretty woman.

"Ah, my father used to read that to me when I was a child. I loved it." The woman mused. She nudged on the little prince's shoulder.

The little prince smiled at the thought. He noticed that the woman resumed on reading her book. He lightly opened the pages of his book and stared at the big titles in front of him. He glanced at the woman again. He's been reading this book a lot on his own. Every time he asked his father or his nanny to read it to him they just shrugged and picked up another book instead. His father rarely read to him and the thought of it saddened him. He wanted to ask the woman to read it to him but his tongue was stuck and the words never came out.

The woman caught him on his train of thought. "Do you want me to read you the book?"

"You would?" He asked shyly. The little prince lit up with joy. The woman nodded her head as she pinched his chubby cheeks. She picked up the book from his lap turned the cover to its first page. The little prince lay down on the sofa, ready to take in the story, while the woman sat cross-legged on the floor.

As time passed by, the story was almost over. The little prince's eyes kept on lingering on the light bump on the woman's belly. The woman paused. She glanced and realized that the prince was staring at her child.

"It's alive, you know." The little prince looked up to her. His face turned red when he got caught staring. The woman laughed as she saw his expression.

"Hunith, can it breathe?" He asked quietly.

"Not yet. His lungs are still developing. But in later months, he will. Once he is out." She was about to read the few last pages of the book when the prince spoke up.

"I wish you won't die like my mother did."

"Your highness, don't say that. I'll be fine. He'll be fine. I promise you."

The boy smiled at her. He lightly touched her belly and let out a soft giggle. "Would he like me as his big brother?" The boy asked as he pressed his ears on her belly.

"I think he would!" said Hunith. She glanced at the clock on the wall, way past the little prince's bedtime, and she offered to take the prince to bed. The prince took it and she led him out of the hall. As they were walking down the hallway, the little prince glanced once again at the little bump.

"Hunith, I will be the best big brother he ever has. I promise." He smiled confidently. Hunith knelt down in front of him, kissed his forehead and cupped his face.

"And you will."

They entered his bedroom and Hunith tucked him into bed, kissed his forehead once again and whispered on his ear. "Goodnight, Percival. Sleep well. Don't let the bed bugs bite."

 **II.**

 _Present day_

Merlin was stuck on the streets of New York at the back of a car, which hadn't moved for the past ten minutes. There was a car crash a block away from him and it seemed he won't be getting home for a while. He tried to strike a conversation with Elyan who politely replied with a "yes, sir." and "no, sir." Merlin wondered why they stopped addressing him as "your highness." And a while back, all twelve of them kept calling him that. Now, after the phone call from his mother, when Elyan talked to someone on the phone who didn't sound like his mom at all, they started addressing him as 'sir'. It bothered Merlin a lot.

He finally asked, albeit jokingly, "So, what happened to the 'your highness' thing?"

"Uh, we were not supposed to discuss about that, sir." Elyan spoke in his little French accent.

"Why?"

"We were ordered not to, sir." Then, Elyan realized what he said and tried to come up with something but Merlin caught on to it.

"Who?" _Gaius? No, it can't be him. Why would he let them address him that. It has to be someone else. The woman on the radio? No, this must be a joke._

"Um, just someone, sir. We're not allowed to talk about it. I apologize." The two men shifted awkwardly on their seat.

"No. You don't have to." Merlin caught Elyan smile a little. Merlin looked behind him. Three black cars were trailing behind them which housed ten more men in black. Sometimes, Merlin felt rich. In Times Square, these men treated him with respect like he's important and the paparazzi were curious about him. The cameras flashed non-stop but he didn't strike a pose though, which disappointed him because if they ever put that on a newspaper, he wanted to at least look good.

"I'm sorry about the traffic, sir." Elyan apologized.

 _Again with the sir_. "You know, you can call me with my name. You can call me Merlin." He let out a fake laugh. The two men didn't join him.

"Yes, Sir Merlin." Elyan said in a monotone voice.

"Oh, you could drop the sir. There's no need to say that! Just Merlin. Or Merl. But I hate that. How about Colin. Its one of my middle names, but I hate that one, too. Just…call me Merlin." He rambled.

"Yes, Sir Merlin."

Merlin gave up. Finally, the car moved and the awkwardness would soon pass any minute, but not fast enough.

 **III.**

 _Up in the air..._ _On a first class cabin._

"What? What do you mean he's not there?" A woman sitting on 2A was talking on a phone, a half-filled wine glass on her hand. She almost spilled it when she shrieked over her phone. "Valiant, I put you in that position because you've done a great job to my show and to the magazine. I didn't put you there to look like an ass head fool!"

"Yes, Ma'am. I understand. He wasn't in the theater. He must've slipped somewhere." The man squeaked from the other line.

"Your eyes are just half-closed, Valiant! Nobody slipped from Morgause de Silva's eyes! You are my eyes down there, and I expect them to be wide open. Right now, you're as useless as a screen door on a submarine. Have you been drinking?"

Morgause slammed her wine glass on the tray in front of her, the contents splashed on the floor. The people stared at her in shock and confusion but she ignored their judgmental eyes. They knew who she was. She was the head and host of _"The Talk"_ , a popular gossip TV show and magazine. They also have magazines for fashion that competed with Vogue and even owned a major television studio. They were one of the infamous companies in the U.K. and were most famous for digging the foulest dirt on popular celebrities to well respected politicians and royals. Morgause knew she's not a woman to be trampled with because she's the one doing the trampling.

A stewardess approached her, and in her small high pitched voice, asked her, "Excuse me ma'am, but under our regulation, we're not allowed to use mobile phones throughout the duration of the flight for safety."

Morgause glared at her. She told Valiant on the other line to hold and gestured for the lady in front of her to bend closer towards her. She whispered on her ear.

"My brother-in-law owns this airline. I could write a very nasty review about this and it could cost you your career and I'll make sure no airline will ever hire you. So you better back off before I start writing and giving it to my editor who's sitting across from me." She flashed a fake smile and pointed at the man in a pink shirt who waved at her. Morgause crossed her arms as she watched the stewardess's face turned bright red with horror. "Now, what did you just say? I didn't quite get that."

"I'm sorry. I apologize. It's my mistake." The woman hurried and shuffled away from the woman. Morgause picked up her phone.

"Valiant, I'll be visiting Boston for a meeting and I'm coming to New York for the Charity Gala and when I get there, you better have something for me. Because I will rip your head off with my bare hands and you know I can do that."

"Yes, ma'am." The man on the other line said, his voice wavered.

"Don't call me ma'am. I hate to be called ma'am. Do I look like a ma'am to you?"

"No ma…" Valiant paused. "No, Morgause."

"Good. Now bring me the dirtiest filth about Prince Arthur and I want it served on my plate for dinner on Sunday. If you don't, I'll fire your arse off."

Valiant gasped. "Yes, Yes! I…I won't disappoint you!"

"Good. I heard he's with another person on the theater." Morgause emptied her wine glass with one gulp and waited for the man on the other line to response.

"Yes. But no one knew who the person was. The person's not famous or anything."

"This woman could be his date. Or his girlfriend. Maybe a future Queen. That would attract a lot of viewers if we reveal that. If we know who this person is." Morgause added.

"No. It's not a woman. The guy said it was a boy. And they're together alone. The prince without bodyguards, Can you believe that? He didn't recognize the other guy. It must be someone else. He could just be nothing important. A friend maybe."

 _A boy?_ "That…is interesting." Morgause relaxed on her chair. "I want to learn everything about this boy. He might have something. Can you do that for me Valiant?" Morgause asked him but it sounded more of a demand than a question.

"Yes. They don't call me 'snooper' for a reason." He chuckled but Morgause didn't laugh on his joke.

"Good. Valiant, find him." She ended the call and put her phone inside her scarlet colored bag.

"Must you be that hard on your employees?" The man sitting across from her turned around and faced her.

"Gary, they're my minions. I told them what to do and I expect they do it with perfection." She smiled at him. She poured another glass of wine. "Or else, I'll make sure their birth certificate is an apology letter from the condom factory." The two of them burst into laughter.

"Morgause, we've been friends for seven years and I just realized you are a very, very funny woman." Gary commented. She poured wine on Gary's glass and Gary said a quiet thank you and took a sip.

"Well, you know me. I got the total bundle. I'm rich. I'm successful. I'm the envy of the entertainment business. I'm very smart and beautiful." She took a sip on her wine. "And most of all, I hate Uther Pendragon." They clanked their wine glasses together and Morgause's smile turned into a mischievous grin.

"You are one evil woman, Morgause." Gary chuckled. "What makes you hate the King so badly that you take it out on his son?"

Morgause hummed, smiled at the man in front of her and took a small sip of her wine. Gary knew that was the end of the conversation. She looked outside her window, and she saw the small beach at the Bahamas, a book on her hand, and a few small kisses of the man she loved lingering over her shoulder and her neck. He meant it back then, his affection deeper than any ocean. She wondered where all those went and how far the wind had carried it off from his heart.

"For fun, I guess." She beamed a smile at him.

"Evil plan. I like it." Gary laughed.

"Oh, Gary. If only you were straight."

 **IV.**

 _Emrys Hotel,_

 _The presidential suite._

Morgana Pendragon paced around the living room. When she received the text from her brother that he was coming back home, she was anxious and waited for him. It was half past midnight and it seemed sleep has not come to her. Lancelot wasn't back either but Morgana already told him that Arthur was on his way. The door swung open, and she turned around only to see it was Lancelot. Not really the person she really wanted to see right now.

"What?" Lancelot crossed his arms.

"I was expecting Arthur, not you."

"He is still not here?" He said, surprised. He walked past Morgana and sat on the sofa.

"He should be here by now. I clearly told him to go home before midnight. I should have told him he should be here by ten. I mean, what kind of little sister am I if I don't bug him with…"

"Calm down Morgana. He'll be here. Tristan might noticed he is gone and yes, the man is clearly mad but Arthur usually shrugged him anyway." He grabbed an apple from the fruit tray and bit on it. He slouched on the sofa and rested his feet on the coffee table.

"And whose fault was that?" Morgana crossed her arms and scowled at him.

"Hey, don't look at me!" Lancelot brought his arms up in defense. "I am merely tired from my flight here and Arthur's bed was comfortable and I fell asleep."

"You should've slept on the plane!" Morgana stomped.

"You know I don't sleep on planes. They annoy me." he scoffed. "Fine. I'm sorry."

"You should be telling that to Arthur. Not to me."

"He's not in trouble is he? He'll only get Tristan's usual talk, right?" Lancelot asked between bites of his apple, but Morgana ignored him as she saw the familiar blonde haired boy standing in front of the door, just behind Lancelot.

Arthur came in with two guards. His expression can only be described as annoyance. He probably resisted them when he got caught. The guards walked out and closed the door behind them.

"Thank God. When did you get back?" Morgana ran passed Lancelot and jumped on her brother and gave him a tight embrace. "The people down below were hunting you. You should've looked at your phone two hours ago!" She hit him hard on the chest and Arthur yelped in pain.

"Ow! I didn't know! I was watching a musical!" He blocked Morgana's punches with his arms but failed, her striking blows getting harder and harder.

Morgana stopped throwing punches at him when she processed what Arthur just said to her. "A musical? You hate musicals, you idiot! You've been up to something out there didn't you? What did you do?" She started punching him some more. "And what's with the stupid get up anyway?"Arthur kept on telling her to stop and calling for Lancelot for help. But the man was clearly amused by the sight.

"I think you're doing fine Arthur!"

Arthur delved for something on his left pocket with his left hand while he blocked his sister's punches with his right. He pulled out the playbill and a piece of the program of the musical. Morgana noticed it when Arthur held it up in front of her.

"You saw _'The Lion King'_?" Morgana took the program from Arthur's hands and flipped through the booklet. "You really saw it?" Morgana tipped her head over to the side as he stared at his brother. She couldn't believe her brother saw a musical. She knew Arthur hated musicals with a passion just like their father. She wondered whether the Arthur that came back to her was the same Arthur before or if the body snatchers had gotten to him.

"Yes! I did!" Arthur smoothed out the creases on his new shirt with force. "I was bored. So, I watched it."

"You're in great trouble, you know." Morgana gave the program back to him and slammed it on his chest. She moved toward the nearest chair and sat there with her arms crossed. Lancelot went back on his original spot and continued to munch on the apple.

"Don't you think I noticed that already? I can handle Tristan. This is probably the twentieth time he did a talk with me about security" He laughed.

"Well, you're not going to laugh about this." Morgana pursed her lips. "But you're in really deep trouble, brother." She sneered.

"What do you mean?"

"It's fa…"

The door swung open again. Arthur was expecting Tristan with the "Here we go again" look. But it wasn't Tristan who barged in to that door. No, definitely not him. It was much worse.

Uther Pendragon stood at the foot of the door, furious, both hands on his hips. His eyes full of rage toward his son who was surprised to see him. He disobeyed him again. One thing Uther didn't like was being defied.

"Father, you're early." Arthur said meekly.

Morgana and Lancelot both stood up, too. They're also going to get in trouble with Arthur since they're his accomplice. Uther walked up to his son, raised his hand, and whipped it down hard the whole room could hear the air whoosh around it. The impact echoed throughout the room and the sting knocked Arthur's head to the side, his cheek burned from his father's palm.

"Defy your King and father again, that mark will forever be on your damn face." Uther hissed.

Arthur could hear his mother gasped and screamed Uther's name. Morgana was speechless. Lancelot wasn't sure whether to flee the scene and never look back or not. He let go of his apple and it rolled toward Arthur, landing between his feet.

All Arthur could do was stare into his father's eyes while he cupped his face. He could feel the sting spread around his cheek, his tooth ached, and felt like his jaw was about to hit the floor.

 **V.**

 _Phillips Residence_

It was a quiet yet very awkward elevator ride. Elyan and the big guy, who Merlin later found out was named Barabbas, were standing at both sides. The nine men in black left the vicinity except for the three who stayed behind out on the street. His apartment was on the eleventh floor and they're still on the fifth. He watched the number ascended with agony.

Merlin smiled awkwardly at Elyan but Elyan just stared at him with a straight face. He later turned to Barabbas and smiled awkwardly at him too. He noticed it and looked away. The two men were not much of a conversation-friendly type, so Merlin held his tongue. Then, he heard the elevator bell ding. He exhaled deep and he hadn't realized he was holding his breath the entire time. As they walked along the hallway, Merlin noticed another man in black standing beside his apartment door. He tipped his head to the front lightly as they came closer.

"Your highness." He said. Merlin was surprised. _Him too?_ The man glanced at Elyan who pursed his lips and shook his head and clearly telling him not to say that. Merlin looked over and caught Elyan doing it for a second. Elyan froze and looked at him straight.

"You guys are acting really weird." He glanced at both Barabbas and Elyan, trying to learn something from their actions. He noticed they couldn't look him on the eye. "Yup. Really weird."

Their actions were making him really paranoid for some reason. He didn't want to find out what was waiting inside his home. _Did George run into a mafia or something?_ Merlin felt like he's in those Mafia movies were they were about to execute a guy and his family, and from what he noticed, he's the character who was about to get executed by the mob boss.

The man in black opened the door. It creaked as it went and rattled Merlin's ears. Most of the lights were on inside. Merlin hesitated to go in for a moment. His heart was pounding fast, and dread crept down his spine he could feel every hair on his body stood high toward the heavens. Merlin slowly stepped into his home and smelled the sweet fragrance of the flowers and the familiarity of his surroundings.

Merlin walked three steps in. He looked back and found Elyan and Barabbas standing outside the door, who were clearly not coming in. They closed the door the farther he went into the hallway. _Home, Sweet Home._ Merlin thought. But the air was not sweet at all. He smelled the burnt wood and he guessed that the fireplace was lit on. He's sure that he's going to get in some trouble.

He walked down the short corridor to the living room. The room was silent beyond the wall, not a single whisper or hushed tone except for the crackling fire of the wooden logs on the fireplace. He hesitated for a moment and decided to face the music, even if its sour and he wouldn't like it. He stepped in and four people glanced to his direction. George was in his work clothes. He wore his usual red tie and white shirt and black slacks. Hunith just came home from work and her yellow shirt had some smudges of dirt on it. Both of them were seated on one of the two couches, the look on their faces can only be described as worry, and Merlin could tell his mother was forcing a smile.

Gaius was wearing his normal business suit attire. He was sitting on a chair next to the end table close to George and Hunith. Before he entered, Gaius was staring down on a spot from the floor when he heard him come in and shot a glance to his direction.

Then a young man, probably in his twenties wearing a clearly expensive dark brown shawl collar jacket and gray trousers, was standing beside the window overlooking Central Park. He gaped at Merlin with intensity. A glint on his eyes told Merlin it was pure awe.

"Merlin, you're home." Hunith got up from her seat and walked passed Gaius. Her embrace was welcoming and she led him to a nearby seat. "Sit, son." She ordered in a sweet voice. Then, she went back to where she's sitting.

The next few minutes, the four of them sat in silence, unable to move, and Merlin swore he could hear everyone's heartbeats. The stranger still stood beside the window staring at him. This time, he wasn't gaping. His hands both in his pockets.

The silence was deafening and it annoyed him. He couldn't take it anymore so, Merlin turned to his mother, and asked, "Mom, what's going on? Am I in trouble? Because I didn't do anything. Whoever this man is, I didn't do anything to him. I swear!"

"No, No. You're not in any trouble, Merlin." Gaius spoke up.

"Oh, good. For a second there I thought you guys are giving me the silent treatment." Merlin let out a soft chuckle. He noticed the man smiling at him. He crossed toward where the piano was, that George bought two years ago, and fished something out of the paper bag laying on top of it. He pulled out a small, ornate, light blue box. Merlin instantly recognized it and his face lit up with a huge smile. It was _AnnaBelle chocolates._

"I heard you liked these so I brought you some." He dropped the box lightly in front of him on the coffee table. "There's three more inside the box." He smiled at him. Merlin's eyes widened when he heard there were more. He glanced at the paper bag on the piano and his mouth salivated at the thought of snacking on them for the rest of the week!

"Thank you."

Merlin had no idea who this man was. He was so confused on why he gave him chocolates. Although, he did admit this man was quite attractive. Was his mother trying to set him up for a date? If she was, this man was clearly not Merlin's type. He looked rich and bulky. He already had a rich kid down the block and his name was Prince, who can sometimes be an ass. But that young man was more of his type because he got to know him, and he was quite nice to look at. He's also respectful and sweet once he got to know him better even if it's only one day. Merlin was lost in his thoughts about him when the man extended his hand.

"My name's Percival." The man beamed at him. At the corner of Merlin's eyes, he noticed Hunith shifted a little bit on her seat.

"Merlin." _Yup. Definitely a set-up date._ But Merlin realized it's almost midnight. Who do dates on midnight?

The room fell silent again. Merlin felt agitated. He looked at Gaius who was out of words. To his parents, who don't know what to do now that he's home. And to the man who called himself Percival, who was staring and smiling at him. It creeped Merlin out.

"So, uh, do I know you?" Merlin asked diffidently. Gaius, Hunith and George turned their heads together and looked at Percival. Hunith was tapping her finger on her lap. George seemed a bit rigid and Gaius was paler than usual.

"No, we don't." Percival sat straight and looked at Merlin on the eye. "My name is Percival Edward Thomas Alasdair Emrys III". Merlin's eyes went wide. Once the young man in front of him said 'Emrys', he knew. The man he was talking to was no ordinary man. "Most people call me Prince Percival, Crown Prince of Avalon."

Merlin's jaw dropped. It's now long gone deep in the bowels of the earth and that he could no longer pick it back up. Then, the man revealed something he never expected to hear him say. The man stared at him intently. Then, the words came out.

"And I'm…I'm your brother."

Merlin hesitated whether to jump off down the pit or hang on and hoped that what he heard might be some kind of joke.

Then he looked into the man's eyes. He wasn't joking.


	5. Inferno Galore

**Chapter Five**

INFRENO GALORE

 **I.**

"And I'm…I'm your brother."

The room fell silent to oblivion. No one spoke, no one moved, and even Merlin stopped breathing for a moment. In fact, he couldn't breathe at all. He froze, staring at the man who claimed to be his brother but that couldn't be it. His mother never bore a child before him. He was an only child. Was he?

He glanced at his mother, and then to George. He was expecting them to burst out laughing and tell him that this was all a big joke, a lesson for maybe breaking into that hotel with the royals because he was sure Freya, Maggie and Will already told his parents about it. It could be that he abandoned his work from the shop to go run around the city with a really, really cute British guy and left his mother to do all the work. What he saw instead surprised him. His parents looked at him with eyes that glint of worry and truth. Truth. They didn't have to say anything. Merlin knew.

"Okay, whatever I did wrong before, this isn't really a bright idea for getting back at me." Merlin laughed a little. After a while, he realized he's only laughing with himself. Gaius was staring on an invisible object on the floor again, George couldn't look him on the eye and Hunith looked at him with concern. Percival pursed his lips together. "This is a joke, right?" Nobody answered. "Right?"

He looked at his mother who lost the ability to look at him and Percival, who seemed confused by his action, the man continued to stare at him as if expecting him to say something he expected. Merlin ignored him as he focused his attention to his mother. Then, the air in the room got colder, a sinking feeling crept through Merlin's spine. No, this was no joke at all.

"I-I…I can explain." Hunith almost broke her words and Merlin could see right through her. Yes, it was true. It was all true.

Merlin stepped back, his head spinning, the walls around him melting. He watched as his mother tried to form words but they never came out. He glanced at Percival, his alleged brother, who fidgeted on his spot not far away from George. If this was his brother, a crown prince of a country he longed to go to and admired from afar, and born of royalty, whatdid that make him?

Merlin's eyes went wide in shock. It all dawned on him all at once. What his mother said about royals in Avalon and how they seemed to be careless, how rich people only loved themselves and their money and they don't value family, and how she tried to cover up every discussion about Avalon by saying 'it's a very bad place'. She tried to paint Avalon as a miserable place so that he won't come there and avoid what's happening right now. She was avoiding the truth. His brother was Percival, prince of Avalon. A prince! That would make him…

"How can you be my brother? You're a prince! Or I think you're the prince! I am far away from royal blood. I lived in America! We can't be brothers! I know for a fact that my mother didn't gave birth before me!" He raised his voice and pointed at Percival who seemed shock at the gesture.

"We're actually brothers from our father's side." Percival mumbled, alarmed. "Half-brothers."

"Father who?"

"Merlin, there's something you should know about your father." Hunith approached Merlin with wary steps, and touched the boy's shoulder gently.

"What about my father?"

Merlin hoped he would not hear the name that has been itching to cross his senses. That his real father might not be a simple farmer who walked out of his life and never turned back, leaving his mother to cross the Atlantic Ocean to America. Though, the image of his father might be high up the food chain. Way up high the food chain. Majorly, royally, abso- _fucking_ -lutely way up the food chain.

Hunith pursed her lips and looked down. "Merlin, your father is a king. Specifically, the King of Avalon."

"What?!" Merlin felt his head popped. His knees almost gave up on him but he caught himself just in time. He stepped back and knocked the coffee table over and the chocolates on top of it rolled out everywhere. Merlin could feel a sting on his right eye. A few seconds later, they're filled with water trying to spill out. _A King?_ "No, you guys are lying!" His tears started streaming down his face. Everything he knew about himself was all gone. He didn't know who he was anymore. He came to believe that he's only a normal teenager living in New York. Now, it's all gone. He's a mystery to be solved.

"Who am I exactly?" Yet, no one spoke to answer.

"George?" Merlin turned to him but he was out of words too.

"Gaius?" His uncle abandoned the invincible object on the ground and looked at him, his mouth gaped as if to speak, but no words came.

"Merlin, you might need more time to process this…." George started.

"I need to know now!"

Gaius swallowed the lump on his throat and stood up. "You are born of royalty, Merlin."

Merlin wiped the tears rapidly flowing on his eyes. He let out a gasp. This was all a dream. He's not a prince. He never dreamed of becoming a prince! This has got to be a really bad nightmare and he wanted to wake up and laugh about it in the morning. He won't allow his life turning into a cliché plot point for a movie.

"No! I am a normal teenager with normal problems! I have a natural birth in a hospital bed and not in a fucking throne! I wear normal clothes and NOT tiaras! Even though how beautiful and elegant and shiny it looks when I put it on my head!" They were all gaping at him. On every sentence, Merlin raised his voice and his face turned red at every word. He continued, "I am just an average high school student who can be over achieving sometimes and who have succumbed to inflexible teenage urges and I never planned to sit on a bejeweled chair! No, sir!" He pointed at Percival who jumped in fright. "I am not a prince. And I'm not your brother. Get it?!"

Merlin turned around and walk out of the room but a blow took him a few steps back, knocking the air out of his lungs, his head and his chest hurt and burned. A scream pierced through the air and the next thing he knew he was on the floor. Percival, George and Gaius ran toward him and helped him get back up on his feet. His head was spinning and everything around him was in a cloudy haze.

"What happened?" Merlin groaned. Maybe this was it. The time he'll wake up out of this bad dream.

"You ran to a wall." Gaius snickered beside him. Merlin almost laughed too but he remembered he was trying to walk out of the room with poise after that moving speech. At least that's what it sounded like in his head.

 _Well, this is embarrassing._ Merlin mentally face palmed and rolled his eyes.

He noticed that Percival's hand gripped his arm and he recoiled away from his touch, as if a poison seeped through his skin. It earned a shocked and pained look from the other boy, who took a step back, his eyes never leaving him.

"I like to be left alone for a moment." _and maybe drown myself from embarrassment._ He stomped out of the room and climbed the stairs. Hunith trailed behind him and stopped at the bottom of the stairs calling his name.

 **~~~oOo~~~**

"Merlin! Can we talk about this for just a second?" Hunith cried out. But the boy shut his door closed with a loud bang. Hunith knew he lost him for tonight. She hoped he'll come around tomorrow so that she could tell the rest of the story. She needed to explain and tell him everything. She's scared that Merlin might be reading this the wrong way. But for tonight, she needed rest and to think things through. "At least eat your dinner."

"Well, that didn't go as I planned." Percival muttered.

"What do you expect? It's Merlin," said Gaius. "Stubborn lad."

Percival walked towards Hunith and put his hand on her shoulder. "Hunith, I apologize for the scene, about this. Maybe I got the timing wrong. I'm naïve and I didn't know that…"

"Percy, it's time for him to know. I've been hiding the truth all his life and it's bound to spill somehow." Hunith smiled at him. "You did the thing that I can't even do. Thank you."

Hunith cupped his face and rubbed her thumbs on his cheek. "You've been a great brother to him, Percival. He might not know it yet." Hunith hugged Percival tightly and the boy did the same. George put his hand on Percival's back and smiled at the boy, and he appreciated the man's gesture of support.

"Now, I have to tell father what I've done." Percival groaned. As if his tongue was caught, he tried to backtrack of what he said.

Hunith's eyes widened, and she crossed her arms in front of her, taking a step back from the boy. She knew exactly what Percival had done. "Wait, Balinor didn't plan this?"

He hesitated to answer. "Actually, it was all my idea to come here." He looked around the room as he tried to avoid Gaius's menacing glare and Hunith rolled her eyes and smacked her palm all over her face, the temperature in the room got higher and higher, suffocating her.

"Oh, you are in great trouble, your highness. This is not good at all."

 **II.**

 _Emrys Hotel,_

 _The presidential suite._

It has been an hour now since Uther slapped Arthur on the face. He lied down on his bed as he stared on the ceiling. He touched his cheek, which still burned and sting a little as he tried to forget the incident that happened a while ago. Uther gently wiped the invincible creases on Arthur's shoulder after what he's done and glanced back at Morgana and Ygraine. Arthur couldn't look at him, not even his family who were staring at awe.

"From now on, you do everything that I tell you. You're immature and arrogant. I expect better from a prince and from my son." Uther spitted the words like fire.

Uther walked out of the room and into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. The queen ran toward Arthur and cupped his cheeks, and with a scowl, followed Uther to the bedroom. No doubt that the two would start an argument that would las the entire night. Arthur's heart broke into pieces. He's been trying to please and proved his worth to his father all these years and he ended up disappointing him again. What Uther said kept on repeating in Arthur's head. He tried to forget the words but they kept on creeping back into his mind.

He heard a light knock on his door. There's only one person who would come to check on him at this hour of the night. "Come in."

Morgana's head popped in. She entered the room and closed the door behind her, sidling her way beside him. "Are you alright?"

Arthur snickered. "What do you think?"

"Well, I think, you're not."

"Why are you here Morgana?" Arthur rolled his eyes. Every time he and his father argued, Morgana always came in and asked questions about what happened. Sometimes he just wanted to be left alone. Although, he couldn't find the courage to tell Morgana that. A part of him liked the company.

"What are you thinking?" Morgana lay beside him.

"Thinking about today is giving me a bad migraine."

"Seriously, what are you thinking?" Morgana propped her left elbow and rested her head on her palm and turned to face his brother.

"Some things I did today." Arthur mumbled and closed his eyes.

"What did you do today?"

Arthur smiled as his thoughts about his father washed away from him and his brain drifted to the memory of the raven haired boy who was probably asleep in peace right now. Away from troubles about family. "About someone."

"And who's this lucky lady we're talking about? Is she beautiful as always?" Morgana was intrigued and poked Arthur on the shoulder. Arthur just smiled.

"It's a boy, Morgana."

"Oh," said Morgana, a bit surprised and taken a back. Arthur saw the intrigue in her eyes and he shifted on the bed and turned away from facing her. "What about this boy?" Morgana teased.

"It's not what you're thinking Morgana. He's a friend." Arthur punched her lightly on the arm. "He showed me around, that's all. And probably fed me some weird food that tastes good. I think it was called corn dogs."

"That's all?"

"Yes, now could you please let me sleep?"

"Okay, if you say so." Morgana got up from the bed and crossed her arms. "Are you sure you're okay?" Arthur nodded. Morgana stayed in the room for a second waiting for Arthur to speak up. But the boy in front of her went back to his thoughts.

"Goodnight Arthur." Morgana said, and Arthur heard her tiny footsteps tiptoeing out of the room, the door slowly creaked open.

"I don't regret it." Arthur spoke up.

Morgana let go of the knob and walked back to the foot of the bed. She sat there and looked at Arthur curiously. "By regret you mean?"

"I don't regret that I sneaked out. It was fun, probably the most fun I had my entire life."

"Well, I'm glad you did, brother. If not, that would be so anti-climactic."

They stayed there in the darkness surrounded by silence. Arthur reminisced about his time with the raven haired boy. It was true that it was the most fun he had without the company of girls in bed just to spite his father. He remembered the corn dog on how delicious it tasted inside his mouth and how he regretted not savoring it instead of munching it within seconds. He hoped that in the near future when he became a king, he would order a lot of corn dogs to his dinner table. He remembered Merlin's addicting laugh and smile and how it always made him laugh with the other boy. Merlin treated him like a friend. A friend he never had. Most people wanted to be friends with him because he was soon to be king and when he did, they'll be coming toward him asking for favors. There were a few people he could trust yet Merlin snaked his way in there in a day. It would usually take them a few years. He smiled at this thought and Morgana noticed it.

He mused over Merlin's appetite for conversation on how easy it was to talk to about the boy on any topic with the exception of sports. Arthur wished Merlin was here beside him so that he could talk about the situation, and it lit something inside him, an expectation to hear what Merlin thought about his father and the way he treated him. But Merlin's not here and he probably don't have any problems like he has. He lived a normal life. He longed to go to another Broadway show after Lion King and he wanted more. He was close on requesting his father to invite actors from the West End Theater shows to show up in the palace and perform a musical or a play. He found himself humming to the tune of _Hakuna Matata_ and Morgana laughed under her breath when she heard it. She hummed along with him.

"You know Morgana, I may not see you but I know you've been staring at me like a mad dog. Pour it out."

Morgana took a deep breath. "Okay. First, why did you see a Broadway musical? You hated it. I remember you complaining about it all the time."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Well, time changed."

"Did the boy forced you to watch it?"

Arthur chuckled. "He threatened me if I don't go, he said; it's the last thing he could do to make my day better, and something about not being my tour guide anymore if I refused."

"He threatened a prince?" Morgana gasped, surprised.

"Well, I didn't really tell him about me being a prince because he hates me."

"Nobody hates you Arthur!" Morgana expressed. "Everyone loves you. I mean, all the girls clamor for you and the guys envy you and it must've been frustrating for you that this boy is not treating you the same! I wondered how you survived that ordeal within a day."

"Exactly!" Arthur got up and faced Morgana. Then, he realized that Morgana must've said it as a joke. "You were kidding, weren't you?"

Morgana laughed and Arthur couldn't help but laugh a little too. "So, how was the musical?"

"I loved it. Most of the time I wished I could've seen another and another."

"This boy must've had a lot of influence on you. You went to a musical and not only you enjoyed it but you also loved it. This boy must have some kind of special powers that persuade an anti-musical freak like you to watch them."

Arthur remembered Merlin talking about seeing another Broadway musical and how he longed to go and watch it. Then, he realized he never gave anything back to the boy for showing him around. He should had bought or do something to get back at him as a thank you. He suddenly noticed that he dazed off. Morgana snapped her fingers five inches away from his face.

"Arthur, what are you thinking about?"

"I just realized I never did something for him." Arthur moved toward the coffee table and grabbed his laptop lying on top of it. He opened it and typed his password, logged in, and went to the internet. He sat on the sofa and propped his legs on the table beside the cup of tea left untouched since the afternoon.

"What are you doing?" Morgana walked and sat beside him. She peered and looked at the screen. It was on a Broadway site. "Are you buying tickets?"

"Yes."

"For whom?"

"For Merlin."

"Wait, five hundred dollars for a little box. Why can't you just buy a normal seat?"

"Not available. This show is popular and I just want to see it."

"With the boy?" Morgana smirked and crossed her arms.

"Like I said, not what you're thinking. Besides, he might be busy." Arthur pouted.

"But you wish he wasn't." Morgana raised a finger and looked at Arthur intently.

Arthur glared at her and closed his laptop. He sighed. "What can I say, the boy's a good company. Plus, he treats me like I'm a nobody."

"Because you never told him you're a prince." Morgana shook her head. "Are you ever going to tell him? You know, he would eventually find out."

Arthur thought about it for a moment. _Well, that's the million dollar question._

 **III.**

 _Phillips Residence_

Percival and Gaius said their goodbyes to George and Hunith. He glanced at the stairs one more time expecting Merlin to come down and maybe jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly and expressing how wonderful it was that he was his brother. He would tell him that he wanted to come with him to Avalon and be a prince like him and they would rule the nation peacefully and beloved by the people as well as take back the lost years of being apart. But, Merlin never came down and he never hugged him and told him how great he was. He walked out the door feeling disappointed.

As they were outside the building, he and Gaius approached their car and Percival turned to Elyan and Barabbas who were trailing behind him. "I want the two of you to stay. I don't want him to be left unprotected." The two bodyguards nodded and bowed their heads in silence.

"Oh, it's alright, Percy. No one knows who Merlin is. He'll be safe. There's no need for Elyan and Barabbas's services."

Percival ignored him. "Oh, treat him with royalty. I know I ordered you to address him with sir but, he knows who he is now. I expect you two to treat him how you treated me." Percival looked up the building and found the balcony of Merlin's house. He sighed. "If he needs anything, do it."

Elyan and Barabbas both muttered a 'your highness' when Percival spoke again. "One more thing, if he has any scratch on him, expect to be treated differently once we're back home." Percival turned around and climbed inside the car. Gaius followed behind him.

Elyan and Barabbas both looked at each other, both scared and concerned. They later entered the building when the car vanished at a corner. Gaius slapped Percival at the back of his head.

"Ow! What was that for?" He hissed.

"That's for not telling me the truth! Do you know how big this mess is? You are not supposed to do this Percy!" Gaius closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "I can't believe you tricked me on bringing you here."

"I know. I know. It's just that I've been itching to meet him Gaius and father won't let me. So, I have to handle this my own way."

"Your way? That boy was now torn to pieces because of your stupidity. This is the reason why your father doesn't want to meet him yet."

"But when was that Gaius? A year? Ten years from now? When he's seventy? He never even gave an effort to see him once. I wanted to do it. He's my brother and he's family and that's all that matters." Percival slumped on his seat. He stared outside his window as he passed many buildings and street lights.

Percival wanted to meet Merlin for a very long time. Since he found the files hidden in his father's closet, he's been dreaming of meeting Merlin. His father has lost touch about the meaning of family. He drowned himself in state duties and has no time for him since he was a child. When he found out he has a brother, he was so elated that he get to have another family member that won't ignore him and realizing that he's not alone, but he was taken away from him. He had been checking up on him, year after year, day by day, and would often let Gaius send him presents on his birthday. He convinced Gaius that it was Balinor who gave him permission to meet and reveal Merlin's true life.

Out of stupidity and selfishness, Percival wanted Merlin to know that he has a brother. A brother who loved him. That he has a family. He never expected the boy would react that way. He was naïve and he admitted that. He should've seen Merlin's emotions and how he would react. But out of the excitement of things, he completely ignored it. Percival was scared of the future. Since his father brought him the bad news about his health, Percival had been thinking about living as a lonely king. He wanted Merlin to be beside him because he's the only family he got left. Yes, he admitted it's selfish but he didn't want to be left alone.

"Percival, I know it must have been hard for you to grow without a proper family. Yes, I know Balinor's busy but that doesn't mean you need to pull Merlin into it. That boy has no idea what royalty is like." Percival hasn't thought about that. He's scared that it might do something to his brother emotionally. He's angry at himself. He should've given him more time. More time to adjust at the information. He shouldn't have rushed into it. "We need to think of something to explain to Balinor. He would be furious once he learned about this."

Percival crossed his arms. "I'll handle him, Gaius."

"Was this the reason why you wanted to go early to New York? To tell Merlin?" Gaius asked. Percival nodded his head. "I knew something was up. You never went two days early for the Charity Gala. I should've seen it." Gaius muttered. Both men fell silent. He turned and faced Gaius.

"I'm sorry Gaius. I should've think things through. This is not what I had thought in mind."

"What do you expect? All hugs and kisses and smiles?" Gaius snickered.

Yes, that's what he expected. He hoped he could say the right words and it might push to that direction. But what he said can't be changed. It would always sound bad to Merlin's ears. He hoped that he didn't kill the chance on being a part of Merlin's life. His little brother's life. But everybody deserved the truth. Even tough, innocent Merlin.

"You know, it's not only your father who would get mad but your step mother too."

Percival rolled his eyes at the mention of her. "Don't worry Gaius, I would stuff a sock once she opened her mouth."

Gaius huffed and tried to hide a smirk. "With all due respect to the Queen, at least do it nicely."

 **IV.**

It was eight o'clock AM.

Merlin hasn't moved an inch on his bed. He was thinking. He ignored the knocks on the door by his mother telling him that breakfast was ready. He shrugged the loud banging coming from Maggie's frustration when she learned that Merlin won't talk to her about his problems but she later apologized and left him in peace, although Freya tried to bribe him to open the door with _AnnaBelle chocolates_ but that didn't work since Percival used his favorite sweets as a device to win also came to check up on him and begging him to open the door but Merlin never spoke a word. Even a 'go away' never came out. He was silent. His friends probably asked his mother why he was acting this way and he has no idea whether his mother would tell the truth or the lie. He thought it might be the latter since his royal background was supposed to be a secret.

The event was on a cycle in Merlin's head. After he shut his door, he jumped on his bed and buried his face on his red fluffy pillow that he always used for comfort. He didn't know when he fell asleep. He was grateful he did. He needed sleep. In fact, he didn't want to wake up back to reality at all. He shifted to the side and he felt the numbness of his back. He's been laying on his back for quite a while now. He groaned at life, his situation, and the absurdity of everything. He thought about getting a massage later on and tried to get rid of the stress. His stomach grumbled. Now, he's hungry but he didn't want to go in the kitchen because that meant he has to face his mother and right now, he didn't want to face anybody today.

He heard a light tap on his window. It must've been a bird perched again on the railings of the fire escape and pecked on the glass. He grabbed his red fluffy pillow and buried his head again when the bird tapped again. Then, a loud knocking sound was coming from the window followed by a shout of his name. Merlin recognized the voice and its coming from no other than Will. Of course, he should have expected his best friend to find a way to get inside his room. Merlin planned to block the window with a brick in the future. He turned around from his position and saw Will gesturing to open the window. Merlin grabbed the nearest pillow and hurled it toward the glass.

"Go Away!" He cried.

Will persisted and banged loudly on the window, scaring the two birds perched on the railing, and they flew off toward the concrete jungle. "Merlin! I swear I'm going to break this glass!" Will screamed.

Merlin, grumbled his way out of bed, headed for the window and opened it. "Will you stop it? I'm trying to sleep here." Merlin hissed. He tried to prevent Will from crawling in but he was too tired to give an effort to push Will back outside. Will snaked his way in and closed the window behind him.

"What's wrong?" his best friend asked.

Merlin plodded toward the bed while Will trailed behind him. Merlin sat at the foot of the bed and Will sat next to him. "I know you Merlin. We've been best friends for twelve years and I know how you looked when you don't like something and you're so depressed you wanted to kill The Olsen Twins." Will nudged him with his elbow.

Merlin laughed a little. He appreciated how Will tried to make him smile. "It's nothing. I'm just tired from the running and sneaking yesterday. By the way how did you managed to get out of the hotel anyway?"

"Merlin, don't try to avoid the question."

"Hey, answer mine first and I'll answer yours."

"Okay. Well, Princess Morgana bailed us out instead of going to jail for a night. She was actually nice."

"Did you get to see her?"

"No, unfortunately. Freya was expecting Prince Arthur though to come in and you know, bail us out but it was a scary bodyguard of his. Tristan's the name, I think. I felt like he was about to rip my head apart. Then we found out that Prince Arthur sneaked out and we held a witch hunt courtesy of Maggie and Freya. We didn't find him."

"I heard."

"Yeah. The press and paparazzi were running like shit." Both men laughed.

"Poor him." Merlin stared at the floor with indifference.

"Yeah. Poor him."

Merlin stole a glance at Will, his best friend since he was learning how to write the alphabet. He knew that Will was a kind and understanding person, one of the few people that he trusted throughout his life. He knew Will was good at keeping secrets, and even when he came out, protected him from bullies since Will was raised by two dads. He's been supporting him along the way when he came out to school. Well, Will has been on every bad moments of Merlin's life that he knew deep down that he could trust him with his royal secret. Merlin felt it's like telling someone 'I'm gay!' all over again only this time, it's 'I'm a royal prince!' and then everyone would think he just out-gayed himself. Although everyone would argue he should be called a princess. Now, that's gay. He wanted his best friend to understand what's going on around him and maybe, Will's sometimes half-baked mind would give him insight on what to do.

"I might have a problem, Will." Merlin started.

Will turned his head and faced Merlin who shifted on the bed and sat crossed-legged. "What is it?"

"Promise me you won't tell anyone even Freya or Maggie because I know how their mouths open and even your parents who would tell the other neighbors if they ever find out. Even the people of Manhattan! And swear to God, even our president." Merlin raised his pinky in front of Will and encouraged him to do their secret handshake which Merlin loved but Will hated. He just preferred a simple handshake.

"Oh my God, you're not going to tell me you're straight are you?" Will smirked.

Merlin punched him on the shoulder and the boy wailed. "Ow! That hurt!"

"Will! I'm being serious here!" Merlin glared at him.

"Okay! Fine! I promise I won't tell your secret!" Will stroke his shoulder.

"Secret handshake." Merlin raised his pinky finger in front of his face. Will complied. He has no choice anyway. Will entwine Merlin's pinky with his. They clasped their hands and pressed their thumbs together while their pinky was still entwined together. "Now say it."

"I hereby promise I'll take the secret of Merlin to my grave. I won't say a word. I won't spill a word. I won't blackmail the person who holds the secret." Will recited the creed without energy. "Oh come on, Merlin, this is like first grade!"

"Just finish it!"

"Fine! So, I, Will, best friend of the secret bearer, should never mention this secret to anybody or else the ghost of the secret monster would get me and take me in my sleep. Happy?" Will let go of Merlin's finger. They spit on their palms and shook their hands. "So, what's the secret?"

Merlin breathed deeply and exhaled. "Will, I just learned who my father was."

Will's concerned look turned into a smile. Then, a look of confusion crossed his face. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Well yeah, but there's something else too." Merlin got up and started to pace in the room. It made Will nervous.

"So, why are you throwing a fit about it?"

"Will," Merlin stopped on his tracks and turned to face Will. "You're my best friend and I really appreciate it if you hold your tongue with this."

"You know, I already secret handshake it and spitted on my hand so…"

"My father's a King." Merlin blurted out.

Will gaped at him. Then he twisted his brows together as if he didn't quite get what Merlin just said. "Did you just say…?"

"And I'm probably a prince." Will laughed but Merlin glared at him. He put his hands on his hips as he scowled at him. "This isn't funny, Will."

"Seriously, what's the secret?" He still could't control his laughter. Merlin waited for it to die down so that he could talk again. He slumped on his desk chair and watched as his best friend rolled on the bed.

"Wait, are you being serious?"

Merlin threw his hands up. "Yeah! Like major fucking serious, Will!" Merlin got up and stomped toward the window, opened it, and went outside, leaving Will dumbfounded.

 **V.**

 _ **Minskoff Theatre,**_

 _ **Times Square.**_

Valiant Johnson had been waiting for the theater to open. He knew the cast would rehearse at nine and he waited outside its doors for it to open. He planned on asking the owner and the producer of the show whether he had seen Prince Arthur coming in the theater. He had asked the cast and crew whether they saw or even took a glimpse of the royal prince but none seemed to have noticed him. He theorized that Prince Arthur might have slipped into the theater without everyone noticing, a secret rendezvous because it was not part of his leaked itinerary.

He was curious of the boy Prince Arthur has been with. The man who reported he had seen Arthur's mysterious guy described the lanky lad with raven haired and blue eyes like a 'lover'. He had seen the two whispered and giggled at each other and even touched lightly at one another. Valiant paid the man a good amount of money. A story of a prince with his gay lover would earn him a lot of money, rich enough to do whatever he wanted, and would cause a lot of scandal back home. King Uther would be devastated if his son won't produce an heir. Valiant smirked at the thought.

He saw a tall blonde man in a suit coming toward his direction. He recognized him the second he laid his eyes on him. He was Thomas Burke. Producer of Lion King and the owner of the building. Valiant tried to get an interview with Thomas last night but the man shrugged everyone and went home. He would be the first to get a comment of him after the incident last night. He hoped that he saw the prince. It might shed light on the person Arthur's been with.

"Mr. Burke!" He called out.

The man, clearly surprised by the handsome man running toward him, waved and smiled at him. "Hi, do I know you?"

"My name's Valiant Johnson. I'm a trusted journalist of Morgause from the _Talk!_ " Valiant showed him his ID. Thomas grinned widely at him. Publicity was publicity, and he knew he caught the man's attention.

"Morgause! Oh, she is lovely. What do you want to talk about?"

"I was wondering if I could get you some tea or maybe coffee somewhere else."

"Sure, Rehearsal won't be until an hour when the producers get here. There's a café nearby, which I'll show you."

Valiant and Thomas both sat on a stylish café down 7th avenue. They had been talking about the show for twenty minutes now and Valiant playfully flirted with the man although he preferred women. He tried to tread the water lightly and the man might spill something out about Arthur's visit into the theater. Although, Thomas was oblivious to this attempt. Thomas flirted back.

"Off the record, I heard that Prince Arthur has been to your theatre last night and watched your shows." Valiant sipped his coffee.

"I know! I didn't even know he was there! He didn't come up to me and even greet me. I mean, it's my show."

"You didn't know?" Valiant asked. Thomas just shook his head. "Well, a blonde haired guy might be hard to find around a dark house." He chuckled. "Besides, his probably on disguise."

"True. But I don't really remember what he looked like. I've been working for the past few months non-stop and I never catch a break. My fiancé was a bit hard on me lately about it." Thomas giggled. He lightly kicked Valiant's leg and the man smiled at him.

"Oh, here. Let me show you." He searched for a picture of Arthur in his camera. When he found one, he gave the camera to him.

"Oh my god" Thomas exclaimed. "I…I saw this guy. I can't believe it was him!"

"You saw him where?"

"In the theater! With a very good friend of mine." Thomas laughed at his obliviousness. "I didn't know they were dating!"

"What is your friend's name?"

"Merlin. His name's Merlin Phillips."

"I would love to meet this boy, Thomas." He smirked.

"Well, don't worry. He lives in my building down 73rd street right near 5th avenue. I think he would love to meet you as well." Thomas grinned from ear to ear as he happily sipped his coffee. "Oh my god, I wonder how Merlin got a big fish like that on the dating pool!"

"I wondered as well. Anyway, thank you for your time. Would you excuse me for a moment?" Thomas nodded. Valiant got up from his seat and walked out the coffee shop and went down the street out of ear shot from Thomas. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed Morgause's number. He was put into voice mail.

"Morgause, I've found the boy. I think this would be an interesting story." Valiant ended the call and went back inside the café. In an hour, he would meet the mysterious boy and he hoped Arthur was with him.

His camera was ready.


	6. A Proposal of Things

**Chapter Six**

A PROPOSAL OF THINGS

 **I.**

 _18 years ago,_

 _Gulliver, Wyoming_

"Okay, Push!"

Hunith screamed out with all her might, as her muscles stretched as far as they could go. Her eyes were filled with tears. Everything around her was a blur. The pain burned her like wild fire and felt her hips and her back being pulled out of her body. It was harder to breathe. She gripped Gaius's hand hard while the other was on Celia's, her mother, on. She screamed and pushed again.

"Hunith, it's almost there. You just need to push." Celia tried to comfort her.

"I can't! I can't!"

"Just try, please. The baby is almost out. Now Push!"

Hunith pushed hard. The pain was three times greater than the last. The intensity sent her gripping both Gaius's and Celia's hand tighter and Gaius may have yelped from his bones being crushed. The smell of blood filled the air. She felt the head poking out close to the exit and she pushed again just to let it out.

An infant's cry reached her ears. She felt her pain instantly washed away.

"There you go. There you go." The woman in white comforted her.

The world around her cleared in a hazy blur, her tears flowed like a river. She looked around and found Gaius staring at her and brushing her hair gently. He was smiling. She was relieved as the cramped feeling of her body slowly subsided. The tearing of her muscles stopped as the head of her child got out. The body was easy to push. She can see the silhouette of her child behind her watery eyes. She smiled and sobbed.

She escaped the pains of hell. She found herself again in her mother's master bedroom. The sheets were wet and a little bit soaked with blood. The process was done. She gave a new life to this world and she was happy when she glimpsed her child again from the sheets.

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She heard her mother's assuring words and felt her lips when she gently kissed the back of her hand. She felt her mother's smile and Gaius's tears. Now, the difficult part was over and she could focus on raising her child to be a good person out of reach to the people who had cause harm to her life, to her goals, and to her dreams. She thought about them but she threw it out of her mind because what mattered now was the family she got in the room with her.

She waited there for a few minutes which felt like hours. Most of the pain was gone but some were still there. Her baby stopped crying. The woman in white approached her and gave her a tiny child wrapped in a green blanket.

"It is a boy."

Hunith grinned from ear to ear as she held her child into her arms. She stared at his beautiful face. She couldn't help but realize that he looked like his father. The same nose and same shape of the eyes. Her baby couldn't open his eyes yet. She kissed his forehead and the baby cooed, holding his tiny hands with her two fingers.

"Do you have a name in mind?" Gaius asked as he sat next to her at the side of the bed.

"Yes. I do." Hunith stared at her son longingly and smiled at him. "It's Merlin. His name is Merlin."

A few days had passed and Hunith has recovered. She's been watching over Merlin with the help of her brother and her mother. Gaius was bound to fly back again to Avalon in the next week and she knew her brother didn't want her to be left alone. Celia vowed that she would take care of them until Hunith found a suitable job and a place to stay in town. But, Hunith wanted to move to a bigger city when Merlin's a few years older.

She ogled on her son who was sleeping in his crib while she sang a soft lullaby. Gaius walked in the room. She warned him not to make a noise and Gaius tiptoed his way toward her. "He looks peaceful." He whispered.

"I've been trying to make him fall asleep for two hours, stubborn child."

"I have a feeling he'll be just like that," Gaius chuckled.

The two of them left the room quietly and made their way to the front porch. The sun was almost setting in from the horizon. Hunith sat on a rocking chair while Gaius sat on the railings. They were both quiet for a while enjoying the silence and the breeze. The house was built around a farm. No neighbors for miles and Hunith enjoyed the peace and serenity for once.

"Have you told Balinor that the child's born?" Gaius asked.

Hunith froze as she heard the name. "No I have not."

"We both knew he had the right, Hunith. He is the father…"

"I know, Gaius. There's no point on telling him. They banished me. They banished his child. I can't do anything about it."

"Yes, you can. You can tell them the truth…"

"The truth is not out there. It's hidden with the King and to the people who I once trusted. I'm sure Princess Nimueh already made sure it won't get out." She crossed her arms and scowled once she said the princess's name. "Gaius, Balinor would soon be a King. His father's right. I'm not the one for him. I'm not even sure I'm fit to be a Queen."

"We both knew it's a set up for you to get out of the kingdom. Their accusations are preposterous!"

"Gaius, I'm glad I'm not there. I don't want my child to live a life where I have suffered so much. Its better he's here being normal like everyone else. Like me before I met Balinor." A tear streaked down from Hunith's eyes. She quickly wiped it and stared at the horizon. Gaius sat next to her.

"Balinor would look for the child."

"No, he won't. As long as he got Percival, he got an heir. He won't look for him not unless he learns the truth. To top it all off, he hates and despises me."

"He hates you because of a lie!" Gaius glared at her.

"No! It's because it's best he knew the lie more than the truth. My existence in the kingdom has caused grief on him. I don't want to watch him suffer. I'm just a pesky commoner, Gaius. Everyone always thinks my life is a fairy tale but it's not." Hunith paused. "It's best for us. It is what's best for Merlin." Hunith got up from her chair and walked toward the front door.

"Why are you doing this Hunith?" Gaius asked.

Hunith was hesitant to answer the question for a moment. She gripped the handle of the door and turned away from Gaius's stare. "Because I love him."

 **II.**

 _Arcadia Apartments,_

 _The Royals of Avalon Residence._

 _Present Day._

Two years ago, The King of Avalon has purchased the penthouse of one of the most luxurious and expensive apartments in Manhattan. It was supposed to be a rest house for the royals and other government representatives of Avalon to stay in the apartment for their visit in America. It has housed the King once during his visit to meet the President. Sometimes, other royals from other countries had also set foot into this three story magnificent apartment with crystal chandelier that greeted you once you stepped out of the elevator. Other influential people had used the apartment as well to stay for a night or two by courtesy of the Royal government of Avalon.

This has been into the covers of the home magazines and Forbes for being one of the most elegant and breath-taking homes around the city, coupled with the magnificent view outside its window. Its hefty price tag of 80 million made the newspaper dubbed the home 'the castle in the middle of a concrete jungle'. A lot of people wanted to buy the place and even pressured the King to sell it since it's hardly been used by the royal family of Avalon. Heck, even the current president wanted it himself.

The apartment housed nine bed chambers and seven bathrooms. It was perched on top of a tall, twenty-story building. Tall windows lit the whole place like a Christmas tree. There's one study room and two living rooms. One of the living rooms has a grand piano next to a giant fireplace and a pool table while the other one overlooked the streets and tall buildings of New York. From a distance, Central Park could be seen. A tea room was also built including an office for the King to do his duties. A terrace was built at the top of the apartment with a beautiful garden with different kinds of flowers and shrubs, as well as a small gazebo surrounded by these colorful clusters. There was a grand staircase leading to the second floor with portraits of the Kings and royals from the past and present. The walls of the apartment were filled with beautiful paintings and frescos from famous painters and artists with prices that could put a hole in anyone's pocket. A dining room for state dinners was made near the study room. A grand hall stood emptily for the purpose of parties and balls. Clearly, this home has been the envy of every rich man in New York. This is a place fit for royalty.

But today, the place was slowly tearing every piece of Percival's body apart. The bright mood of the place has turned dark. The morning light didn't help at all. He awoke when Gaius had told him the King had arrived and wanted to speak to him immediately. After getting up, he was expecting a torturous lecture on why he disobeyed his father's orders. But his father was silent the entire time. He sat across from him in the living room staring at him and probably judging him. Percival couldn't help but notice the pained look that cross his father's eyes. It was unmistakable. Everyone in the room was silent. Except for the woman pacing in front of him and raising and miming her hands that matched the expression on her face, disappointment and horror and enraged. Percival couldn't believe this woman became the Queen of Avalon.

"How could you do this and betray your father? We have specifically asked you not to make any contact with this boy! This would be disastrous, a scandal, and this could give the Emrys House a very bad name once this gets out to the public!" Queen Catrina screamed. Once named Lady Catrina of Tregor, now became a faithful wife of his father. But, calling her faithful made Percival hurl into the nearest bucket. Her daughter, and Percival's step-sister, Lady Vivian, sat calmly and rather bored at the discussion at a nearest couch and would rather get out of the room than hear him being lectured. But she did nod on some points when her mother asked her if she was right but Percival didn't think that she even heard the question in that brain of hers and was just faking it. Percival wondered how she passed the exams in school when he rarely saw her study.

"Why would it give the house a bad name when he is born with royal blood?" Percival snapped. It was much of an insult to her because she's not born with it and he smiled as he saw the sting seeping into her skin. "I've read our law. Maybe you should try it."

Catrina glared back at him, wide eyes that could swallow him whole. "Oh, don't you dare say a word when I'm speaking!" She pointed a finger at him.

Percivial rolled his eyes, her intimidation tactics do not work on a man like him. Queen Catrina has been feared by the servants of the palace and even the guards were scared of her. Once thought to be a gracious and caring young woman in her younger days had turned her into a bitter and vain woman, much like her daughter, when she stepped into the throne and accepted her title. That was around the time when Hunith was banished out of the kingdom much to Percival's plea to his grandfather not to let her go. He hated Catrina with a passion. She acted like a mother in front of Balinor but behind his back, she had become a nightmare. Some might say she was a gold digger and rude as she looked down on anyone who was lower than her and didn't treat them with respect. She even requested not to see any servants once she entered a room. She mostly tried to persuade Balinor to do what she liked or wanted. But Balinor held his ground, thank God, and mostly didn't fall on this woman's tricks.

Feared by many, except for Percival, Percival knew Catrina despised him. He would soon be King and she would lose her power as Queen. Percival was the last of the Emrys name, well, except Merlin entered the picture. Two Emrys was a threat to her. Percival knew the game too well and he wished his father could see the same thing.

She had been trying to paint a bad picture on Percival for over two years now since he turned eighteen with publicities that never did any damage on his image. He was still a loved prince by the people and by the whole world. Overthrowing him has become a burden to her and her daughter but sometimes she felt like her daughter didn't care at all.

Of course, Lady Vivian did want to become a Queen someday. Spoiled and shallow, she has asked and taken a lot of things from her mother's pockets for her own selfish reasons. She had become beautiful and desired by most men in the kingdom and around the world. But there's only one thing her eyes were set on. It was the crown prince of England. Her mother approved with her choice. Percival felt sorry for the bloke.

"Just because you're a queen doesn't mean you had any right to be my mother." Percival shot back at her. Yes, it was disrespectful to talk back to _her majesty_ , but Percival couldn't hold his tongue much longer. Lady Vivian gaped at him. He had been silent too long, to please his father, but he had enough of Catrina and Vivian's shit.

"Oh you bratty, incompetent fool!"

"That's enough!" Balinor raised his voice.

The man stood up from his chair and looked at Percival on the eye. He turned his gaze to Catrina too. "I would like to have a moment with my son." He announced clearly. Catrina tried to say something but the King cut her off. "Privately."

Isolde, the head security of the royal family, bowed down her head and left the room. Catrina and Vivian trailed behind her with the housemaids. Balinor walked toward a window and gazed blankly outside. Percival waited for a while for his father to speak up but no words escaped his lips.

The man across from him was a loved and great King. One of the greatest Kings Avalon had seen. He has concern for the people and did everything in his power to do what was right. Percival admired his father's hard work but felt disappointed by his other responsibility. The responsibility of being a father. Balinor was mostly absent in Percival's life. He coped with it but sometimes he couldn't help wishing that his father would read him bed time stories again when he was a child or would hang out again and bond. When he became King, those things vanished. He was left with nothing but himself and the thought that his only family left was a younger brother who might be dead or not. Until he found those files that his father has been keeping tabs on Merlin. That sparked hope inside him that one day; he would meet him and do what he promised to Hunith. That one day, he would be a great big brother. But looking back at the events last night, those promises might not happen at all.

"Father, I'm sorry." He said quietly.

"You don't have to apologize about anything, son. I talked to Hunith last night and even though Merlin didn't take the news too well, you were right. He was of royal blood and a family and he have the right to know." Balinor looked at him and sauntered closer. "But that doesn't mean you need to barge in that boy's life. I didn't intervene because I don't want this life for him. Being a prince and all."

"I understand. I should have thought of things clearly."

"I know that you might be feeling lonely, Percy. The news about my health would probably give you a heart attack. Seven years from now or less, I might not be here. To rule a kingdom alone is hard. But that doesn't mean you need to pull Merlin into it so you won't have to go through it alone. I know I'm mostly not there as a father to you and I apologized for that but someday, you're going to have a family." He put his hand on his shoulder and looked him on the eye. "You still have to marry. You're going to have kids. You still have aunt Nimueh!"

Percival knitted his brows when his father mentioned his aunt. "I know. I just thought you don't want him."

"For a long time I tried to fight the urge to sit next to him and tell him I'm his father. But Hunith and I agreed not to say anything to him." Balinor went back to the window and stared outside.

"You tried to tell him?"

"Yeah, I did. A lot of times. The files you found months ago, that was your grandfather's work. He kept tabs on Merlin. That's the time I learned that he is my son when I read it." Balinor closed his eyes trying to fight tears from streaming out.

"What happened with you and Hunith?" Percival moved and stood next to him.

"It's a complicated story, son."

"I knew she was accused of having an affair…was that why you banished her? because you thought the child was not yours?"

"That's one of the reasons why I want to go back in time and make it all right again. What I did was…unforgivable."

The two men stood there when Isolde entered the room. "Your majesty, your lunch with King Uther is in an hour."

Balinor nodded and said a thank you for reminding him and walked toward the door. Percival walked beside him as they left the room and roamed the hallway.

"Here's what we're going to do. Since this is not in public hands yet and it should stay that way, we give Merlin a choice. A proposal. He can join the royal family and rule Avalon or he could choose a normal life out of everyone's eyes." Balinor offered the idea.

Percival thought of it for a moment. It was actually not a bad idea. "How can he choose when he have no experience for being a prince? The only life he knew is the other one."

"Well, how about we invite him to a dinner. Maybe introduce him with this life for a day or two and if he liked it, that's fantastic. No, not a day, let's try a month. Yes. That's even better. This way, we can also get to know him better."

"What if he chose not to?"

"That's his choice. How about you invite him to the gala tomorrow. Some royal families, politicians and other people would be there. See things how we do. He might not accept the invitation but why don't you try?" Balinor turned to Isolde who gave him a small box. He opened it and pulled out a ticket and gave it to Percival. "Give this to him. I hope he accept."

"Father, this is a private party. Everyone would ask who he is. They'd be curious!"

"Then, we better do our best no one would find out his true identity."

"What if they do?" Percival asked, concerned. Fearing that what he was thinking might be the answer.

"Merlin has no choice, but to be a prince. Or else, the public will tore him to pieces. We both knew what that felt like." Balinor squeezed Percival's shoulder and left him standing in the hallway as he went down the stairs toward the elevator.

 **III.**

 _Phillips Residence,_

 _Merlin's Room._

"So, you're a prince." It sounded more of an indubitable and calm tone than an accusation when it escaped Will's lips.

Merlin was leaning on the railings of the fire escape as Will climbed out of the window and moved toward him. Will stood next to him. He glanced at Merlin for a couple of times waiting if the boy next to him would say another word. But all he got was silence. He rummaged through his pocket and fished out a pack of cigarette. He offered it to him but the raven haired boy shook his head.

"You know I hate smoking." Merlin reminded him.

"Oh." Will put his pack back into his pocket.

"You know, I never expect to wake up one morning to someone knocking at your door with a fancy crown telling you are born of royalty." Merlin chuckled.

Will huff at the thought. "You know, it's pretty rare for someone to wake up like that. I've known only one person who does. It's you." He pointed at him.

"I don't know who I am anymore." Merlin slinked down. He buried his face on his knees.

"What do you mean?"

He sighed. "I'm a completely different person. All my life I've always thought I was just a simple New York high school student. A sixteen year old who only knew the reality where I don't have a name for myself but I'm a prince. The thought of it scares the crap out of me. It's like being born in a new life." Merlin still buried his face. Will sat next to him.

"Dude, you're a fucking prince! That's awesome!" Will tried to cheer him up.

"Well, I just learned that yesterday! Not everyone is happy waking up and knowing your life was a lie. Last night, I thought about what royals do. And I just realized its hard work."

"Okay, what's hard about sitting on a throne, waving at a crowd and going to parties? Your life would basically be a walk in a park!"

"I googled what royals do in Avalon. Their government is still a monarchy so basically, I still have power that means I need to rule a kingdom, Will. I have to govern a population and you know how I do in crowds. I passed out on stage instantly once I see the flood lights on me."

Will was speechless for a second. He tried to gather the new information into his brain. He crossed his arms and tried to come up with something to cheer Merlin up. He thought about what princes and Kings and Queens do when their on the throne. He was a history buff and he studied European history in high school and he knew half of the royals and what they do. Some of it benefited a kingdom; some of it was just deeds by assholes playing God. He knew Merlin was a very nice and caring young man. And he was his friend. His best friend. This was the guy that saved him from the bullies when he was five although; they were just scared of Merlin because he was covered in glitter.

"Wouldn't that be a good thing waking up one morning thinking you can change the world?" Will added.

"What are you talking about?"

"Think about it. If you're a prince, you have the power to sway a crowd. To voice out your opinion and I know how opinionated you are. You love fashion, you can influence that industry. You can be an ambassador for a cause and everyone will hear about it. Most of all, you have the ability to change the world. I mean equality in marriage, war on drugs, saving the hungry children around the world, dude, you can do all these stuff and everyone would listen. I think that's amazing!"

"Will, I appreciate the thought but that even scared me more. I'm not fit to run a country or sway a crowd or voice out my opinion. I'm a clumsy, idiotic, teenager who doesn't really know about politics and the whole world." Merlin stared down the street. The black car he was riding on was still parked in front of the building. That meant the two bodyguards were still around. "I feel like this _thing_ is suffocating me. It's too much information to gather in one night."

Will gently put his hand on Merlin's shoulder. "Merlin, why don't you give it a try. I mean, don't announce that you do want to take this responsibility but see from the other side. If you like it, well, good. If you don't, then that's good too."

"So you could have a royal best friend?" Merlin laughed. "And what you're saying basically…"

"What I'm saying is, try being a prince for a day or two. Write a law or something and attend a party or sit on the throne for once." Will laughed. "Heck, if they offered it, why don't you accept it and decide later on."

Merlin thought of it. If he has a choice, won't that be a good thing? His other family was not forcing this down his throat, that he actually had a choice whether to be a prince or live a normal life. Although, he did admit it was tempting to swim in riches for a day. Merlin shrugged Will's idea.

"Will, you do realize this is a well kept secret." Merlin reminded him.

"Of course. I promise I won't tell anyone about your secret. I pinky promised it remember." Will raised his pinky to his chest level.

"Good. I watched too much Princess Diaries and I know what happens when everyone finds out. Cameras would be chasing me and I don't want that. Princess Diana, may God bless her soul, had that life and I don't want them chasing me around to my death." Merlin got up and walked toward his window and crawled in. Will follow behind him.

"Are you going to tell Freya or Maggie about this?"

Merlin turned around quickly once he heard the names and gripped Will by his collar and pressed him against the wall. "No, no, no! Now is not the time to tell them. It's too early. And you promised not to tell them. Because if you do, I'll snap your neck."

"Okay! I'm not planning to. But you know that they'll be pressing you with questions." Will tried to remove the creases on his collar and his shoulders.

"I know. I'll tell them when the time comes." Merlin sat on his bed and hugged his red fluffy pillow close to his chest.

Will stayed inside the room for another hour while they watched a rerun of Saturday Night Live. After the episode was done, he crawled out of the window back to his place. Merlin was feeling hungry and he knew he needed to go down stairs and eat his breakfast and face his mother. But he also wanted to take a walk. He could buy a sandwich in the nearest Starbucks or go to a book store and buy a book. He'd much rather read than sit and lied down the bed doing nothing but think about royal things. He'd rather escape into another world but his TV was not giving him any movies and television shows worth watching to immerse himself into it. The book was the only choice.

He hopped out of bed and opened his closet and grabbed a red shirt and some pants. He took out his brown jacket and cleaned the lenses of his glasses. He also grabbed his favorite gray neckerchief. He put it around his neck like a muffler. He grabbed his side bag. He didn't feel like taking a shower since he already did it last night. He held the door knob and took a deep breath. He turned the knob and opened the door.

Hunith heard Merlin coming down the stairs. Barabbas and Elyan were sitting on the dining table eating their breakfast that she forced them to eat since they keep telling him they're not hungry when she can clearly hear their stomach rumbling. Merlin was shock to see them eating when he entered the dining room. He sat across from the table. Hunith gave him a plate of grilled cheese sandwich and a small salad.

"How did you sleep last night?" Hunith asked as she went back to the kitchen.

"Horrible." Merlin mumbled.

Elyan and Barabbas excused themselves when they finished their meal and went back outside.

"By the way, you dropped your phone when you hit the wall last night." Hunith gave him his phone and put it beside his plate. Merlin rolled his eyes in embarrassment when he remembered that situation. He turned on his phone and noticed he has one message. He opened it. It was from Prince.

'I got scolded. But last night was worth it.' He saw that the message came in last night. Since there's no harm on texting back, Merlin hit the reply button.

'I had fun too.'

Hunith saw Merlin texting on his phone "I also put Percival's number if you want to talk to him."

"Mom…" Merlin started out.

"Merlin, you might be a little bit mad at me but we need to talk. If you don't want to talk to me then talk to Percival. I already put his address on your phone."

"Meeting him would be impossible." He muttered.

"Well, let me explain then." Hunith sat on the chair across from him. Merlin got up and ate the last piece of the sandwich.

"Mom, I need to take a walk. We can talk later but not now."

Hunith sighed. "Of course. Just don't be late when you get back. Okay?"

"I won't."

Merlin drank his milk and walked toward the front door. Merlin didn't want to hear the reason why this all happened. Why was he born of royalty? Why was his father a King? What happened? Merlin doesn't want these questions to be answered right now. He needed to breathe. The house was suffocating him to death.

Merlin bought a cup of coffee in Starbucks. He awkwardly asked Barabbas and Elyan if they wanted anything but the two men shrugged and shook their heads. They've been following him for the past fifteen minutes now down the street. Their black suits and ties and them wearing sunglasses were making them obvious that they were clearly bodyguards. People were staring at him in the coffee shop. Merlin hated the attention and loved to ask the two men to piss off but he couldn't do anything about it because he guessed that Percival probably ordered them to keep an eye on him. Merlin cringed at the idea that his brother was the crown prince of Avalon. He even cringed more when he thought he was the second line to the throne, figuratively speaking.

A man was staring three tables away from him as he sipped his coffee peacefully. Merlin tried to ignore Elyan and Barabbas sitting a feet away from him. The man was handsome with perfect dark brown hair and gleaming brown eyes. Merlin noticed the man's clothes. They were clearly branded and he instantly recognized the brand of it. It was River Island. This man was clearly European.

After Merlin was done with his coffee, he left the shop and walked to the book store which was around the corner. He asked Barabbas and Elyan to stay a good pace away from him since he couldn't handle the stares of other people. He thought he's meant to be invisible but with the two men on his tail, he won't. He's scared someone he knew from school would recognize him and ask questions and he didn't want that to happen. He knew he would be the talk of the school after Spring Break was over. He wanted to stay away from Sophia's radar, that _evil bitch_. She made everyone's life in high school miserable. Merlin didn't want to be included in the list. If Maggie wanted to strangle her, then clearly Merlin needed to stay away from the girl as far as possible.

Merlin entered the book store and Phil, the guy at the counter and owner of the store, greeted him. The store has been Merlin's favorite hang out places because Phil allowed him to read the books in the store and even gave him discounts every time he bought a book there. He has been a regular customer and a good friend of his.

Merlin browsed through the book shelves. He found himself not interested in buying his favorite authors' stories and continued down the shelves in search for a good book to read. He later realized he happened to stop in the sections of royalties. Books of Kings and Queens and the life of a medieval citizen. A book about Queen Elizabeth has caught his attention. He gently pulled it out of the shelves and opened the book to its middle pages. He returned the book back to the shelf when a particular book caught his eye.

It was titled, _The Royal Families and History of Avalon_.

Merlin grabbed the book from the shelf and opened it to its first pages. It was the family tree of Avalon from its first king to its current successor. Merlin turned to the back of the book and saw that the book was published nine years ago. Merlin went back to the first page and saw the current leader of the kingdom, King Balinor, his father. Right at the bottom of the page was the picture of Percival in his pre-teens. Merlin frowned when he knew that below Percival would be him once the whole world knew who he was. Merlin stared at the picture of Balinor for a while before closing the book and returning it back to the shelf.

A man suddenly appeared beside him. Merlin instantly recognized him as the man from the coffee shop, the one sipping a vanilla latte. With a closer look, Merlin noticed the man's features. He admitted to himself that the man standing next to him was drop dead gorgeous. Then he realized it must be a coincidence this man was inside the book store when five minutes ago, he just saw him in the coffee shop. The man turned and looked at him.

"So, you're interested in monarchies?" The man asked. Merlin noticed his British accent.

Merlin stayed silent. He met another British man in New York again. He noticed he's been seeing them around lately. First Prince now this man next to him. Merlin figured it has something to do with Prince Arthur coming down to New York for the Gala tomorrow night. The man grabbed a book from the shelf.

"If you are interested, this book is good. It's by Olivia Hark and she wrote a fantastic portrayal of Henry VIII. It's one of my favorite books. I also had an autograph by her." He handed the book to him. Merlin took it and smiled at him.

"Thank you." He muttered. "So, your quite a royal reader from what I noticed Mr.…"

"Oh, how rude of me. My name's Lancelot." He extended a hand. Merlin laughed when he heard his name. "Why are you laughing?"

"Oh. A friend of mine have a cousin named Lancelot. You're the second person I know who have that name." Merlin shook his hand.

"Well, my name is unique. You hardly find anyone with my name. And your name is…"

"Mer…" Merlin was hesitant for a moment. He only met this stranger a minute ago and he sounded like he was flirting with him. "Colin." Right. Merlin used his middle name instead of the other one. Plus, he hardly used it anyway and he thought it's a good time to use it now.

"That's a beautiful name." Yes. Just like what Merlin thought. This man was clearly flirting with him. "And I love your glasses. You must be a book worm."

"Thank you. And yes, I am." Merlin shifted awkwardly. Lancelot continued to talk to him more. It was something about royals and books and suddenly Merlin found himself drowned by things he had no idea about. He just smiled and nodded. Although he did enjoy a little bit the company of the handsome man in front of him. This was the first guy who ever showed any interest on him. Merlin decided to play for a little bit and the man hit back at him. Merlin was totally amused and giggled inside when the man would look into his eyes or brush his hair every time Merlin said something funny.

"Is everything alright, your highness?" Elyan interrupted but then held back his tongue. Merlin thought that was weird until he realized what Elyan addressed him. Merlin panicked.

"Yes. Everything's alright, Elyan. I was just talking to someone."

"Your highness. I didn't know. I'm sorry." Lancelot bowed down his head and apologized.

Merlin's eyes went wide. "Oh no! Um…It's really nothing."

"I should have introduce myself more clearly. My name is Prince Lancelot of England, cousin of Prince Arthur and nephew of Queen Ygraine. I'm sorry but I haven't seen you around from somewhere, your highness. I believe we haven't met anywhere."

Merlin gaped at him. He looked at Elyan who clearly showed that yes, he's talking to a prince and that the said prince knew his secret. Elyan knew him, too, and was frustrated that Elyan didn't warn him. But, Lancelot didn't know that him being a prince was a secret. He also didn't know that he was the son of the King of Avalon. In fact he could lie. Merlin remembered he gave him a different name so a mention of him into the royal crowd wouldn't do anything. They would say Colin. Not Merlin. Merlin pursed his lips and stood firmly.

"That's a shame. I'm Colin… of Ealdor. Third cousin of Prince Percival." Ealdor was the only thing that popped into Merlin's head. He doesn't even know why he mentioned Percival's name or that he's a third cousin. It made everything more distant. Merlin looked around and noticed the section of the store was empty, out of ear shot from Phil and from the other customers. He later thought that he sounded diplomatic, which he was proud of.

"From Avalon?" Lancelot asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry if this is an odd place to meet. I'm in disguise." Merlin put out a fake chuckle and Lancelot was convinced and laughed too. Elyan stepped back a little bit away from them awkwardly.

"I don't need it. I've been living in Prince Arthur's shadow which means I have the freedom to walk in public without anyone noticing while my cousin can't. I'm sorry I hit on you." Lancelot smiled sheepishly.

"It's fine. Well, hardly anyone knows me. Maybe that's why you don't recognize me." Merlin needed to get out of there. He was scared that someone might overhear them like someone he knew and it would be a disaster. "Well, it's nice meeting you. The discussion with the books was interesting. But I got to meet with someone."

"Of course. But are you in New York for the Gala then?"

 _Lie. Lie. Lie._ "Y…Yeah. Yeah. The Gala. I'm going there. Here in New York." Merlin mumbled.

"Well, see you there tomorrow then." Lancelot smiled at him. "Your highness."

Merlin walked out of the store with Barabbas and Elyan trailing behind him.

"I'm sorry your highness. I should think before I said anything." Elyan apologized.

"It's okay. It's done. Do you think I handled that one well?" Merlin asked him. He looked back into the store but the man didn't come out yet.

"He seemed convinced. I thought you did it pretty well. But, he might be expecting you into the gala tomorrow."

"Don't worry. He won't see me because I'm not going to be there anyway. Can you call a ride?"

"I'll call someone, your highness." Elyan took out his phone and dialed someone.

Merlin's phone beeped. He fished it out of his bag and saw the name written on it. It was Prince. He clicked and opened the message.

'Emergency. Need to escape my family. Free for the day?'

Merlin texted back quickly. 'Meet me South of Central park. near the carousel. what's wrong?'

His phone beeped again and Merlin opened it in a second. He texted back.

'I'll tell you when I'm there. You're a life saver.' Merlin smiled and put his phone into his pocket. He turned to Elyan standing next to him. "Elyan, take me to Central park."

"Right, your highness. The car would be here any minute."

 **IV.**

 _One hour ago,_

 _La Biella Restaurant._

 _5_ _th_ _Avenue._

Uther Pendragon has made it clear for everyone to behave and act amiably in front of the Royal family of Avalon. He aimed it at Arthur to not do anything that would disgrace the family's name any longer, which Arthur frowned. Uther couldn't let go of the things his son did last night and he's sure he was going to do it again. But he's been telling everybody that this meeting was important between the two countries of United Kingdom and Avalon.

For the past Forty years, Great Britain and Avalon has been rivals on economic growth and disputed lands. Avalon laid claim on a 200 acre island just at the far east of U.K. and the surrounding islands and the two countries had been fighting who owned what. The two countries didn't really go into a full scale war. It was much of an ego war of who was best and who the second rate was. As one of the power houses of Western Europe, the two countries battled in sports, arts, media and military dominance. One of their latest was economy.

When Uther Pendragon inherited the throne left by his father, he decided enough was enough and that the two countries should form a truce. A truce that would signify an alliance between both kingdoms like the brief alliance they had during their fight against terrorism, which left 300 Avalon civilians dead on the attack in the country. King Balinor agreed. Since both of them were successors to the throne, the two agreed to end their so called _'dominance war'_ that their fathers started and start a new generation of peace and friendship between the two during their reign as Kings.

It was 10:15 AM. The royal family arrived at the restaurant five minutes early. Uther got out of the car followed by Ygraine. Joseph, the owner of the place, greeted them on the front door. Arthur and Morgana followed.

"Welcome your majesties and your highnesses. Follow me and I'll show you to your table." He said with enthusiasm.

The meeting between the two families was kept a secret from the press. Both parties won't allow their discussions inside leaked out to the public. But there were rumors circulating around that the two countries would make a truce, which was true. Arthur was glad that no cameras were parked beside the doorway to the building. He liked to take a break from the flashes of those annoying devices.

Joseph led them into a private area of the restaurant. He showed them a round table with plates and cups of tea already in place. Arthur sat next to Morgana.

"We are delighted that you chose to dine for breakfast here this morning. Our chef is Julianne Maffell and she is honored to cook you breakfast. I'll get back to you when you're all ready." He smiled with his French accent. "Your majesties, your highnesses." He bowed down his head lightly to the four of them and left the area. Morgana chuckled a little bit.

"What's funny, Morgana?" Arthur asked who was also chuckling.

"Oh, nothing. I like your suit by the way." She complimented.

"I asked Arthur specifically to dress nicely for breakfast." Uther sipped his tea and looking at the menu.

"Father insisted. I need to obey." He propped his elbow on the table and looked at the menu.

"Well, you look good. I must recommend your tailor to our cousin Eric. His fashion needs to change immediately." Morgana poured more tea on her cup. "And this tea is exquisite."

"Well, I'm sure Mabel Smith is busy designing for her spring collection this month."

"Mabel Smith? I love her women's winter collection last year." Ygraine joined in.

A man entered the area with a woman by his side. Uther looked up and instantly recognized Balinor standing two feet away from him.

"Balinor!" Uther got up and moved toward him. He extended a hand and Balinor took it and both men embraced each other. "It's good you came."

"Uther! It's good to see you, my friend. I brought Catrina with me and my son Percival and Princess Vivian." Balinor introduced them.

Ygraine, Morgana and Arthur stood up and walked toward them and shook hands.

"Queen Catrina, a pleasure to meet you. And to you as well, Percival. You've grown throughout the years." He shook their hands like they were long time friends. He ended up with the beautiful Princess Vivian standing in front of him.

"Princess Vivian, beautiful as always. This is my son, Arthur." He kissed the back of her hand and introduced Arthur who was behind him. The lady blushed.

"I've heard a lot of things about you, your highness." Vivian extended a hand when Arthur kissed it. She almost fainted right there but held her composure. She wanted to impress him and also doesn't want to show him that she's interested in him.

"Shall we sit?" Ygraine offered. Everyone nodded.

Balinor and Catrina sat side by side and Uther and Ygraine as well. Morgana can't breathe on where she's sitting when Percival asked if he could sit next to her. She just nodded. He did pull out the chair to let her sit, like a gentleman, and it made Morgana blush a little bit. Arthur was the only one who noticed it.

Vivian expected Arthur to pull her a seat but the prince calmly sat on his chair, oblivious that the girl was waiting for him. She gave up after a couple of seconds and sat beside him. She tried to strike a conversation with the handsome prince but it seemed Arthur tried to ignore her the whole breakfast. Vivian made an 'accidental' nudge of the elbow to Arthur's arm and she made an attempt on her fork to accidentally slip it from her hand and dropped it on the ground. Arthur picked it up but he never said a word. A waiter came by and gave her a new one.

The adults in the room talked about laws and parties and a long discussion of what they would sponsor for the gala tomorrow. Balinor asked Arthur what he'll do and said he'll donate money for the animal cause which they always have every year. Ygraine told them that Arthur was an animal lover with a collection of horses and other animals back home including two dogs and a parrot, which the two adults were amused. But Arthur noticed Catrina might be faking it a little bit when she laughed. Vivian enthusiastically talk about animals and mentioned her favorite pets which Arthur just nodded even though words never really penetrated his ears. He returned on ignoring her when the breakfast was served.

Balinor and Uther were talking happily and smiling at each other. At a corner, Morgana and Percival ate peacefully and even took second glances at each other. Arthur wanted them to talk already since he knew his sister had a thing for him. He looked at his sister and even wiggled his brows at her and Morgana caught on immediately. Her eyes widen and pursed her lips. She's planning on how to stab Arthur without everyone knowing.

Uther made a clinking noise between his fork and his teacup together. "I'd like to say a word." He requested.

Everyone looked at him and waited for him to speak. He stood up.

"For years, our countries had been on a verge of brutal competition and rivalry. Who was best and who was left behind. We've battled in Olympics, naval dominance and bravado for years now started by our fathers before we stepped into the throne. Now, it's time for it to end. To call for peace and an alliance between countries who are made of greatness. We proved that during our fight against terrorism that we can coexist as friends." He raised his glass of wine. "To you Balinor, and to your people, the citizens of Great Britain wholly accept your offer of peace and prosperity. May it continue through the years." Everyone clink their glasses together and clapped their hands lightly. Balinor thanked him.

"This news would be official in the gala tomorrow. We're going to announce it. I'm glad this is over. I must admit, it was silly for this conflict to start in the first place forty years ago. We don't know what our fathers had been drinking!" Balinor and Uther laughed.

"Well, now that we're getting along, what is our plan for the wedding?" Catrina asked excitedly.

"Oh, the marriage can go later. It's still a few years away." Balinor pointed out.

 _Wedding?_ Arthur asked in his head. His father never mentioned a wedding. "What wedding are you talking about, your majesty?" Arthur turned to Catrina.

Uther and Ygraine both shifted nervously on their seats. Vivian gaped at him and looked at her mother.

"You don't know?" She asked, confused.

"Well, we're going to tell him tonight." Uther sipped his tea.

"Tell me what?"

"That you are getting married of course!" Catrina burst out enthusiastically and clapped her hands lightly. "To our Vivian!"

Arthur's heart dropped. He felt betrayed. He looked at his parents who were both staring at him with concern. He turned pale. He never noticed that he was gripping the table cloth tighter. Arthur heard Morgana dropped her cup on the table and apologized while Percival helped her. At the corner of his eye, he can see Lady Vivian smiling brightly at everyone in the room. He noticed everyone were a bit happy and cheery except for Morgana who seemed shock at the announcement.

"We were going to tell you tonight. There's no need to rush I mean, the wedding won't be until you graduated university and got into at least two years of military duty." Ygraine spoke up.

"That would be in four or five years. I'm only nineteen." He muttered.

"Oh. That's why I like young love. Its romantic. I remember when Balinor and I met. We were young and in love." Catrina smiled at him and oblivious that Arthur wanted to hurl at a corner. Ygraine sighed with her. Uther looked at him intently.

"Don't worry about it, Arthur. We'll handle the wedding and you handle your academic years. Five years would give you time to get ready to walk down the aisle and get rid of any cold feet." Uther and Balinor laughed. Morgana looked at Arthur with concern. Percival was silent throughout all of this and just smiled.

Arthur had a vision. Him waiting for his bride, which he just met not thirty minutes ago, to walk down the aisle. To kiss her without feelings and have kids and have a family he never wanted with the person he never loved. It punched him right through his gut. His head was spinning rapidly. He saw his life sitting on a throne looking unhappy and lonely. Right there, he wanted to die. He wanted to jump on the nearest bridge and leave this life that slowly suffocated him every second. This was his punishment. His father had made a decision. With women on his arms day and night for the past three years, his father had made the decision that in order to stop all this scandal and disgracing the family name, He needed to be wed.

His father had found a way to stop his rebellion. Put a woman by his side and named her his faithful and loving wife. With the peace treaty between the countries, it made much more sense to the public. A marriage between the young royals signifying alliance and bond. Arthur feared that when the news got out to the press, he can't turn back. He can't call off the engagement. He can't escape his life. He got up quickly and left the table. Ygraine called for his name but he never turned back. He walked out. Everyone around the table was silent. Catrina was confused and looked around to explain why the prince left. Morgana got up.

"Morgana let him be." Uther beseeched. After a second, Morgana sat back on her seat.

"What just happened?" Catrina asked Uther.

"I think he needed space."

Arthur got out of the restaurant with Tristan trailing behind him.

"Get me a car now!" Arthur was panting. He tried to catch a breath but he can't. His chest was collapsing tightly. His heartbeat went rapidly fast. Tristan obeyed the order and called for a car on his radio. A moment later, a black car appeared. Oswald came out from the driver seat and greeted him.

"Get me out of here." He ordered as he entered the passenger seat. Oswald went back into the car.

"Where are we going your highness?" Oswald asked.

Arthur can't think of anything else. Then, only one person popped into his mind. The raven haired boy. He's the only person around and the only one he could think about who can make his day a bit better. He delve into his pocket and pulled out his phone and texted him. His phone chimed a few seconds later and he knew where to go.

"Drive me to South of Central Park by the carousel. Drive fast. Do you know where that is?"

"Yes, your highness. We'll be there in fifteen minutes." Oswald turned on the ignition and drove off. Arthur looked out of the window and closed his eyes.


	7. Puppy Dog Eyes

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

PUPPY DOG EYES

 **I.**

 _Boston, Massachusetts._

 _Early Morning._

Morgause de Silva has never been more irritated and tempted to rip someone's body in half and paint the walls with their blood. With teary eyes, she wanted to hurl at a corner. She did however, was tempted to grab a pair of scissors and cut and shred all the clothes shown in front of her by a mad man with a pink dyed hair in a blue suit. Clearly, who owned class and glamour nowadays? She was close on grabbing the nearest sharp object and jabbed it on the designer who made the collection in front of her. She wanted to jab it right on his throat. On the other hand, Gary, his assistant, watched the whole show with excitement and fire.

The music stopped. All the models posed in front of her like they're behind glass windows in Amsterdam's red district and were about to be picked up by greasy old men who ate a dozen burgers along the way and planned to use it as condom. The male models posed seductively, some with class, but Morgause noticed they're trying to get her attention. Being a model under Morgause would make their career run smoothly in the fashion and model business. Morgause wasn't interested. Even with their big muscles and chiseled skin, she could fuck all of them and be bored quickly the second their schmuck got into her pants. She did want to burn the clothes they're wearing including the designer who made it. A review from Morgause would absolutely raise you up the food chain in the industry. Not today. Morgause would tear the person who made this abomination he called fashion apart.

"That is our Summer Collection and we hoped that you enjoyed the show." Maurice Dahl stood firm beside his models and his collection but shifted nervously as Morgause prowled around the stage. She touched the clothes, felt its fabric and recoiled often when she saw the clothes she hated. He was expecting a clap from her but she made no sound as stroking his ego was not part of her agenda. "What do you think?"

"How long have you been in the business?" Morgause asked.

"Uh…Four years."

"Four years? Have you thought about quitting?"

Maurice paused, and said, "What do you mean?"

"Well there's no point on breaking down what you did wrong since it's all repulsive and revolting to my eyes. I know you're a newcomer to the business. But seriously, have you considered the designs first before you showed them to me?" She sighed. She turned around and sat back on her chair, grabbed her martini, and took a sip.

"Yes. I did. I checked my designs ten times."

"You should have checked more. Really, I should have expected this would be a total train wreck the moment I met you wearing that outfit. It looked like hell descended upon you and gave you that."

"I work hard on this collection. I really did. I poured countless hours. Day and night I didn't sleep to give you this." Maurice stuttered, his eyes watered, and Morgause feared he was about to hurl in front of her and on her dress.

"Really? Right now, I'm sitting here looking at you trying to see things from your point of view to your designs but I can't get my head that far up my arse. Dear, the collection looked like it fell out of an ugly tree hitting every branch on the way down and ended up looking like that. Nobody would wear that. I suggest you start handing out coffees and coupons in Starbucks by next week. This meeting is done."

She grabbed her scarlet hand bag and walked out of the room, ignoring the cowering looks the models gave her as they shifted toward the back stage. Gary trailed behind her and turned around back to Maurice.

"She didn't mean it. You have potential. But, I'm sorry we can't use your collection for the summer show next month. It's not what she's looking for. I'm sorry." Gary hurriedly walked out. "Must you be that cruel to potential partners?" Gary asked her.

"Gary, to survive this business, they need to hear the truth. People who worked with me cashed in millions of dollars every six months by just working with me. They are the people who I think is a hundred times better. That man doesn't have the guts to run a spectacular runway. So I gave him my best compliments that I could give to a person. I thought I was being nice."

"I don't know Morgause. One day this might backfire."

"Oh, hush. I don't know. I'm more interested in running a television show right now with Prince Arthur in New York. I can't wait to meet him on the gala tomorrow night." She turned her heel and walked inside the elevator.

"You ruined that man's career you know." Gary pointed out. "Even giving him a six out of ten from you is like a nine in the real world."

"Oh Gary, how many fashion designers, TV directors, or writers have I pushed down the pits of hell?"

"Too many to count."

"Exactly. You should be used to it by now." Morgause patted his chest lightly.

The elevator door opened and the two of them walked out. Morgause's phone rang and she delved into her bag and pulled it out. She looked at the caller ID and saw it was Valiant. Her blood boiled, rolled her eyes, and answered it.

"What do you want? And will you please stop calling me. I'm busy."

"I just wanted to let you know that I found him."

"Found who?" Morgause stopped on her tracks.

"The guy Arthur's with. I know his name!" Morgause could hear Valiant's feet jumping from the other line.

"And where did you get this information from?"

"From a guy who owns the theater. He's a good friend with the boy. I tricked him on telling me the address. I know where he lives."

"And I guessed that you are on your way there?" Morgause started walking again to the lobby and a fan with a poster of her swept by for an autograph but she flashed her fake smile and a security guard ushered the teen away.

"Yes! I won't disappoint you ma'am!" She heard the engine running on the other side of the line.

 _Not Again._ "Don't call me ma'am! Do I really look like a ma'am to you? If you call me that again I will seriously fire you!" Her driver waited in front of the front doors and opened the passenger door for her. She entered and Gary followed behind her. She can hear Valiant gasp on the other line and probably mentally cursed himself.

"Sorry, Morgause. I'll keep that in mind! I'm on my way to meet him."

"Good. Don't disappoint me." Then, she hung up. "To the airport."

 **II.**

 _South Central Park._

"Merlin!"

Merlin turned around and saw the blonde haired boy with piercing blue eyes walked toward him wearing an elegant suit that he immediately recognized. Mable Smith's design. He was wearing glasses and Merlin wasn't sure whether he was hallucinating or what but it felt like Arthur was taking his coat off slowly as he walked toward him in slow motion. Like those movies where the badass character walked out of an explosion unscathed but this time it looked ten times hotter. Merlin was in a haze. He never saw Arthur in a suit before but he looked gorgeous in one. He guessed all rich people do look good in one of those elegant outfits. He wondered if he will, too. Arthur carried his coat by his arm.

"Wow. Mable Smith." Merlin pointed out, impressed.

Arthur's eyes widened. "Ah. You know him. I like her designs." Arthur sat next to him on the bench. They were hidden from the big crowd around the carousel partly because a giant tree was blocking them. There was no one around.

"Is it because she's British or you just liked her clothing line?"

"Both." He chuckled.

"It must've been expensive." Merlin lightly touched his coat. "I see no point with you wearing glasses when you said yourself you get easily recognized in a suit. Are your bodyguards with you?"

"Yeah. I came here with my parents knowing I'm here."

"Oh." Merlin sighed.

"So, who are Tweeddledum and Tweeddledee?" Arthur bobbed his head once toward the direction of the two men sitting a sixty feet away from them.

"Those would be my personal bodyguards."

Arthur gasped. "You have bodyguards now? Since when did that happen?"

"Long story. Anyway, why do you want to meet me?" He tried to change the subject. He's not really sure telling a person he met yesterday that he came home one night and later found out he owned a kingdom, and its ten million inhabitants, would be such a smart idea. He didn't really know who this person was except that he's hot, very rich, had family issues, and hot. Oh wait, he already mentioned that.

"Long story too. I just decided to enjoy your New York experience one more time." Arthur smiled at him. "I want another ticket to the Merlin tour."

"You want me to be your tour guide again?" Well, Merlin kind of guessed why Arthur wanted to meet him anyway.

"Why not? Like I said, you are a fun companion. I want to enjoy the city for now and escape reality." Arthur leaned back on the bench and crossed his arms oblivious that Merlin blushed a little. "Reality's been biting my arse lately."

Merlin laughed. "Okay, but I can't do it when I have these guys behind my tail." Merlin pointed at the two.

"Me too. I have one who kept an eye on me." Both of them turned to their left and saw a man sitting on a bench several feet away from them, and faking reading a newspaper.

Merlin leaned over to his ear. "What should we do?"

Arthur turned to face him, his lips mere inches away from his but Merlin recoiled back, the heat brewing too hot. "Promise me you tell me why you ended up with a bodyguard."

Merlin thought for a moment. "Okay. Fine. I will. So what's your plan, British boy?"

"It involves running." Arthur smiled mischievously.

Arthur moved closer and whispered on his ear. His breath tickled when it reached Merlin's ears. It was warm and close. Arthur could basically nibble it but Merlin shrugged that fantasy away. Yes, he admit, he's attracted to the boy but he's a sixteen year old boy who had urges and raging hormones. Plus, this boy had no clue he liked him so…it's all innocent crush. Merlin could just turn his head and their lips could meet. Merlin didn't really think that was a good idea. He should save his first kiss to someone special. Not on something he'll call _'a hit and run'_ later on. Plus, he's straight! Besides, Prince would be gone in the next two days since he'll be going home back to England.

 **~~~oOo~~~**

Elyan saw the lad whispered on Merlin's ears. He was curious on why Merlin wanted to go to Central Park all of a sudden. The blonde haired boy utterly looked familiar from somewhere. He turned to Barabbas who seemed shock for unknown reasons. He followed his gaze and it ended up on the mysterious lad.

"That might just be another friend of his." Elyan said to him.

"Not just any friend…" Barabbas trailed off.

"What do you mean?"

"Elyan, that's Prince Arthur."

Elyan could see it behind the boy's glasses. He recognized the man now. With the suit and his features, he remembered seeing him on every magazines and newspapers. Then, why the hell was his highness was talking to the crown prince of England? He thought. Barabbas was shock to see the prince in front of him. Elyan knew that Barabbas last saw him six years ago when he transferred from London to Avalon and work as the royal family's trusted bodyguard. Back in the day, Barabbas worked as a bodyguard for the royal family in England and he would recognize them instantly when they're in disguise especially King Uther's son and daughter.

"I never knew they were acquainted." Elyan said.

"Do you think this is worth reporting to the prince?" Barabbas asked him. "I mean Arthur could recognize me and may connect the dots that I worked for the Emrys royalty."

"I think so. He would be curious, too, and you make a valid point." Elyan nodded.

"Hunith never mentioned Merlin having a royal friend. She mentioned Will and the two girls we met earlier." Barabbas recalled and got up on his feet. "This is… strange."

"Wait, you think his highness doesn't know who's he talking to?"

"I'll bet my annoying mother that's the case." Barabbas chuckled a little bit. "From what I noticed, his highness hates royals right now remember? Now he suddenly talked to a prince whose country hates us? Now, that's something." Barabbas started to move toward the two. "Last I checked, his identity is supposed to be a secret."

Elyan nodded in agreement. He stood up and trailed behind Barabbas toward the two teens sitting not far away from them. Elyan noticed another man in black sitting and reading a newspaper not far away from where the two were sitting. Then, out of a sudden, Merlin and Arthur dashed toward the carousel. They were running fast. The man with the newspaper threw the papers behind him and followed the two.

"Your Highness!" Elyan cried out. Barabbas and Elyan quickened their pace and chased the two. They had no idea why the two ran off. Barabbas hit him at the back of his head.

"Keep it down!" Barabbas ordered him. "Secret, remember?"

 **III.**

"Hurry!" Screamed Merlin. "The subway station is just ahead!"

They ran through a group of little kids lined up for the carousel. Prince almost tackled one of the kids and excused himself. Merlin helped him up and grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the carousel. One of the children's nanny screamed at them to fuck off. The three men in black were hot in pursuit and Merlin thought they were about to catch them in a few strides. Prince was a fast runner. He noticed he was a good distance away in front of him with engines running high while he was almost stumbling and out of breath. They dashed out into an open field heading north. People were having picnics under the sunny sky and they parted like the red sea.

"Come on Merlin! Pick up your speed!" Arthur laughed.

Barabbas hit a biker along the way and tackled him to the ground. He hit his head pretty bad on the pavement. Elyan helped him up while Oswald lost his balance and came tumbling down the field. He ended up rolling toward a couple making out. The woman screamed. Merlin and Prince were halfway down the field. All the people were staring at them. Both in confusion and amusement as the three men behind them clumsily ran after them. Prince slowed down his pace as Merlin caught up to him. He grabbed his soft hand and entwined it with his own, laughing and smiling at him as the breeze pushed his blond hair back. A spark went off inside Merlin's body. He couldn't describe what the feeling was and he looked up to Prince, losing himself in his eyes. Merlin grinned back. He never noticed that his heartbeat was beating fast. He looked back and saw that the three men were a good distance away from them.

"Don't let go, Okay?" Prince asked him.

Merlin felt his heart skip a bit. "I won't" He muttered but he didn't think Arthur heard it.

They left the open field and disappeared into the shrubs. The three still trailing behind them. Arthur led Merlin to where the subway was as Merlin gave him directions. Every time Merlin say turn left or just ahead, Arthur pulled and held Merlin's hand tightly and grabbed him toward that direction.

"You want to take a break?" Prince paused on his tracks. The three men were gone behind them and Merlin thought they lost them.

"Yeah. Yeah. It's just around a corner. It's just near." Merlin panted. He wasn't a sports person. As punishment, this was what happened when he totally try to argue with his gym teacher that he has asthma, which in reality he don't, so that he could sit out and take laps. Merlin couldn't breathe. He realized Prince's hand was still entwined with his and he had no intention of letting go. It was warm, as if fluttering butterflies coursed through between their palms.

"Oh, shite!" Arthur pulled Merlin's hand toward a corner. Merlin looked back and saw Elyan running and heading for him with speed and scowl like a wild cat about to pounce on his prey.

"Merlin!" Elyan cried out.

Merlin and Prince saw the stairs leading toward the subway and both men rushed toward it. Thhe subway was filled with bodies and they surfed their way through, bumping and pushing and others cursed and spit at them in annoyance. Merlin pulled out his Metro card and swiped it on the entrance twice and went through the turnstiles. They found a train approaching and ran toward it. The train slowed its pace, screeching like a banshee until it stopped right in front of them; the doors opened. They jumped in, a jolt of adrenaline rushing through their veins as they waited for the doors to close. Merlin didn't really care where this train led as long as they lost Elyan and Barabbas. He's sure he'll be in great trouble once he get back home.

The three men jumped over the turnstiles without paying and ran toward the subway train. They were too late. The doors closed right in front of them and Merlin and Prince laughed and giggled just behind the glass. Merlin flashed them his cheesiest smile and waved at them like a little girl while Elyan and Barabbas tried to open the door but failed miserably when the train started to go forward. Prince made a face at them, especially to his own bodyguard. The train left the station as the three men watched in frustration.

 **~~~oOo~~~**

"What do we do now?" Barabbas asked.

"Don't worry. I tweaked Merlin's phone. It'll show it on my GPS." Elyan fished out his phone.

"Why'd you do that?"

"I figured if our prince wants us to protect him and if he gets lost I could find him." Elyan smiled smugly at him. "Didn't think it would be useful now rather than later."

"King Uther is going to kill me." The other man muttered.

"We'll find them. Our King would tore our heads off, too." Barabbas assured him.

The other man looked at him in confusion and shrugged. "My name's Oswald by the way. So, what's the plan now?"

 **IV.**

 _Arcadia Apartments,_

 _Royals of Avalon Residence._

Princess Vivian burst into her room, the doors banged against the wall, and jumped onto her bed. She buried her face onto her pillows and cried and sobbed loudly, soaking the fabric with her tears. Queen Catrina stepped into the room and sat next to her on the bed. She caressed Vivian's blonde hair, hushing and whispering assuring words that would rouse her daughter away from her silly little teen angst. She hated seeing Vivian this way. It was a sign of sadness and she was thankful there were no servants around.

"The prince won't marry me!" Vivian shrieked. Catrina tried to shush her down. Balinor didn't came home with them because he has important matters to discuss with Uther.

"He will! You may not notice it Vivian from that head of yours but he has no choice!" Catrina pulled her hair and Vivian shrieked in pain.

It took a lot of planning and conniving for this moment to happen only for Arthur to fuck it all up. Catrina took drastic actions on convincing Balinor that it would be a good idea for Vivian to marry Prince Arthur. He has been talking about peace with Britain for a few years now and Catrina saw an opportunity. She was scared that once Percival inherited the throne, she would lose her powers. She doubted her husband gave her anything on his will and if he did, it would only be a few million to live her days in peace. The time she heard about Merlin, she was devastated for months. That was five years ago when she found out her husband had been checking up on his bastard son ever since that boy turned ten. She despised Hunith. She's the reason why she and Balinor almost never made it. Thanks to Princess Nimueh's help and Balinor's father, the bitch was banished out of the kingdom and she won her rightful throne.

Marriage to Arthur would ensure a lot of things for her and for Vivian, the British throne on their grasp, on their skin, and on their heads. Vivian could become Queen and have power and access to luxury and money. She could have that, too. Balinor was dying. It's a matter of time before he's gone and Catrina would be gone forever. She didn't want that. Although, the planned marriage would be far in the future, Catrina tried to convince Uther, Ygraine and Balinor to move it on a closer date but gave up because she's scared that they might think she's pushy. She disagreed on not announcing the wedding early, too. Arthur has a lot of time to call off the engagement but she thought, with Vivian spending more times with Arthur, the prince might fall in love with her daughter. There's no beauty that could match Vivian's gifted looks. And Arthur's marriage was a peace treaty between the countries. The boy had no choice at all.

"How can that boy walked out like that? He should rejoice his going to marry the envy of every kingdom in Europe. And that Morgana, telling us Arthur might not go with the wedding at all." Catrina fumed. After the breakfast when they said their goodbyes, Morgana hinted at her that Arthur might call off the wedding which the Queen didn't appreciate at all.

"This took months. Months! On planning this thing!" Catrina got up and paced the room. "No, he has no choice. He'll marry you. That's the end of it." She crossed her arms.

"But what if, what if…" Vivian trailed off from her sob.

"He won't! I know Uther and Balinor won't allow that!" Catrina moved closer to her daughter and cupped her face.

"Deary, Arthur would fall for you. You're beautiful and you're of royalty. If things are on the way, I will make sure they all drop dead to give you a happy ever after you deserve." She smiled at her. "And I know you would do the same way for me."

"I love him mom!"

"He will love you too." Catrina assured her.

A servant girl entered the room with a bouquet of flowers and almost passed out when Catrina screamed at her for interrupting their mother and daughter moment. Catrina got up and glared at her. "What are you doing here?" She moved forward toward her. The girl stepped back in horror.

"I…your majesty! I came here to deliver these flowers to Princess Vivian. Courtesy of King Uther and Queen Ygraine!" She said nervously and mumbled the words out.

"Give me that!" Catrina grabbed the vase and put it on a nearby coffee table in the room. "What's your name?"

"Gw…Gwen. Guinevere." She mumbled.

"Geordina, I can see you have hands. Why don't you use it by knocking on a door next time?" The Queen glared at her.

"Its Gwen, your majesty. And I will. I apologize, your majesty." She scurried out of the room.

"Servants. Think they own the world." Catrina muttered and returned to comfort her daughter.

 **V.**

 _Empire State Building,_

 _New York._

"This is amazing!" Arthur was in bliss.

He looked out from the railings and watched the buzzing spirit of New York. _Ah, the city that never sleeps!_ He thought. Standing on top of the Empire State Building, Arthur took pictures with his phone. He took pictures of the scenery and himself, with the help of Merlin. Just twenty four hours ago, he was complaining on not stepping foot into the building with Morgana and he's sure he'll show this to her once he got back into the hotel. That would make her jealous.

Right after they got off the train, Merlin brought him a cheap hooded sweater and a baseball cap for he insisted he wanted to change. He gave his (very expensive) suit to a homeless man who just threw it down the rail muttering he'd rather have something to drink (preferably an alcohol) rather than wear _a piece of crap._ Arthur cursed under his breath when he saw the man in front of him refused his act of kindness and his thousand dollar coat. Oh, well. It's his loss anyway. It's a rare sight to see Arthur being kind to anyone since the media pictured him as the bad boy prince.

"Can I just say we have more stuff to see than this?" Merlin tried to pull Arthur back into the building. They had been on the observation deck for half an hour now. Arthur enthusiastically took pictures at every corner of the deck. It was like the boy never wanted to leave at all.

"Just another minute!" He shouted.

Merlin waited and stood at a corner. He looked up to the sky and watched as a pigeon passed and hoping it won't poop at his direction. Then, he turned his attention to the blonde haired guy in front of him who was all giddy and so full of excitement. He's turning into a kid. Arthur's back was facing him and Merlin couldn't help but wondered why his back was so familiar. Then he realized it looked like Prince Arthur. His height, his blonde hair, his frame…all looked similar. Merlin shook the idea that Prince was Prince Arthur. It couldn't be. Who would go out without his security detail and hang around with a no-body? He would me swarmed in a second by teen piranhas! Prince Arthur could just hire a professional tour guide. He shook his head and laughed at himself at such a preposterous idea. Then again, he was a prince, too. So…he's not really technically no-body since he's born with royal blood.

Arthur trudged toward him. "So what's next?"

"Um…Are you hungry?"

"Not really." Arthur shook his head.

"Well, I've got this great deli place. You may have heard about it since it's the famous deli in New York." Merlin playfully poked Arthur's shoulders when the man just looked at him in confusion. "Katz Deli? The movie _When Harry Met Sally_ where Meg Ryan's character did a fake orgasm? 'I like what she's having' line by the old woman?" Arthur just shook his head.

"I'm sorry; you lost me in the orgasm part." Arthur burst into laughter the second after he said it.

"You're a prat." Merlin mentally stomped his feet and turned his heel.

"Come on! I was only joking! And I'm not a prat." Arthur followed him.

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

Arthur held his tongue and mentally shot daggers at Merlin's direction. "Merlin, you're an idiot." Arthur mockingly punched him on the shoulder and stomped his feet.

They walked toward the elevator and waited for it to come up. It was still on the 54th floor, the metal box creeping like a snail. Merlin realized they were the only two waiting for the elevator in the area.

"Merlin, I never really got the answer why you hated Prince Arthur."

"Why'd you bring it up?"

"I'm just… curious." Arthur looked around trying not to look Merlin on the eye.

"Two of my friends knew him well. They're basically a Podcast show about him. The way they talked about him…It sounded like he's sad or something. And it kind of pissed me off a bit that he never really stood up on anything that's bothering him. I mean, he's a prince and he should say anything on his mind, right?" Merlin turned his head to Arthur who looked at him intently.

"Why'd you thought something bothers him and that he's sad?"

"Well," Merlin pursed his lips. "It's like 2007 Britney Spears or other celebrities who did all these crazy things and people call it for attention. But to me, it's like a cry for help. Like they're in trouble. I mean people who commit suicides in front of people were a cry for help. A part of them still wanted to be saved by this crowd. To be stopped and you get the idea. And Prince Arthur was like that. Partying non-stop? Girls on every arm? Womanizer?" A pained and sad look crossed Arthur's face and he curled his fists together as he listened to Merlin speak the exact words that has been bugging him for years. "I don't hate him, if you think of it that way. Hate is a strong word. I just wish, he'll tell what's wrong rather than ruin his life to death. There might be a chance for help and a change, you know?"

Merlin looked at Arthur and he tried to discern Arthur's odd expression. Arthur really wanted to punch Merlin on the face. Yet, he also wanted to cry on his shoulder, too. To hug him tightly and thanked him for saying the words that he tried to block in his mind. He put up a fake smile. "You are really in love with him, are you?" Arthur smirked.

Merlin kicked his leg and turned away from him. Arthur hopped on one foot as he grimaced in pain. "You know, the first time we met I was really thinking you might be Prince Arthur." Merlin recalled and laughed.

"I thought you never met him."

"No. I saw him once. But it was the back of his head. It kind of looked like yours when I looked at your back." Merlin walked around him and stared intently on the back of his head and Arthur shifted nervously, swatting him away. "You're not Prince Arthur are you?" Merlin asked but the joke got to him and burst out laughing.

Arthur joined him in his giggles. "Me? Prince Arthur? You got to be joking! Why would a prince go with you?"

Merlin thought about it for a second. "Right. I might be reading too much on what Maggie and Freya said about him. Maybe he's just really a 100 percent prat. And like you said, why would he go with me?" Merlin stepped forward into the elevator when it reached their floor. Arthur followed and stood beside him. "Anyway, food?"

Arthur nodded his head in agreement.

They reached the lobby and Merlin asked Arthur to wait for him because he needed to take a leak. Arthur threw the brochure on the bin and sat quietly at a corner. He surveyed the area when a girl, not more than fourteen years old, walked up to him. She has glasses on and a brochure of the building was on her hand. He can tell she was a tourist.

"I know who you are!" She pointed at him.

"Excuse me?" Arthur nervously moved from his seat.

"You're Prince Arthur!" The girl gasped.

"Shush!" Arthur shambled toward her. He looked around and no one seemed to have heard the girl. He lightly grabbed his arm and bent down a little so that his eyes met hers.

"Oh my god, you just touched me." The girl giggled.

"I'm on disguise!"

"Of course you are! But no one knew the prince like me. So, I spotted you the moment I laid eyes on you!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. This was another girl expected to be lift off her feet. They were just easy to manipulate because they'd do whatever he told them to do since they worshipped him like a celestial being unless there was a catch. "What's your name?"

"Pe…Pepper. My name's Pep…Pepper."

"Pepper, would you like to help me avoid the paparazzi? I'd greatly appreciate it. And I might invite you to the gala tomorrow." Arthur flashed her the most charming smile. Pepper nodded like a bobble head. "But first, you must bring me water. For I have been running throughout the city and chased mercilessly by a group of them."

"I'll do anything for you, your highness!" Pepper sneaked a kiss on Arthur's cheek and he put on a fake smile. Pepper rushed out toward the building's café. Merlin went out of the bathroom just in time and Arthur grabbed him and led him outside.

"We need to go now. Your bodyguards are right inside the building!"

"How come they found me?" Merlin looked back but Arthur kept pulling him toward the door.

Merlin recalled when Elyan and Barabbas followed him to the airport and to the hotel and to the theatre. No wonder they could be following him right now, too. Maybe Percival put up a satellite to find him in the city. They were royalties, right? They're rich enough to track him down in Manhattan. Merlin picked up his feet and went outside.

"I don't know but I saw him inside." Arthur looked back and saw Pepper back with a water bottle and trying to find him. He saw an empty cab and tried to hail it. The cab stopped to a screeching halt in front of him.

"I hope he doesn't catch us." Merlin muttered. They both entered the cab when Pepper ran toward him. Arthur hurriedly told the driver to drive. The cab driver stepped on the wheels and drove off. The girl stomped her feet in disappointment on the pavement for being tricked.

"Who was that girl?"

Arthur shrugged his shoulders and was relieved that Merlin didn't press the subject further. He turned his attention to the cab driver. "To Cat Sally."

Merlin laughed and playfully poked his cheek. "You're cute." Arthur tried to hide a smile. He could feel his cheeks burning and he tried to think of something else.

"To Katz Deli." Merlin corrected him.

 **VI.**

 _Phillips Residence,_

 _Merlin's home._

Elyan and Barabbas had told Hunith about what Merlin did an hour ago. She thought that there's nothing really to worry about since she knew Merlin will be back but Percival stressed out and almost threw a fit over the phone when he found out. He almost tore the two men's head off when they screamed at them for not finding him. Elyan told him he has a GPS and he could track where Merlin was and Percival scolded them for not doing it an hour ago.

Hunith sighed and continued baking Merlin's favorite apple pie. It was a desperate move to win Merlin over but Hunith didn't see anything wrong with it. She pictured Merlin eating her pie at the sofa overlooking the park while she apologized and maybe she'll be forgiven by her son. Since its Saturday, the shop was being taken care of by her assistant and another employee who she hired two months ago. She had sent a bouquet of flowers to Romero, her college part-time worker, who broke his leg two days ago as a "get well!" present. She knew that boy loved plants. The apple pie was done and she put it on the table and waited for Merlin to arrive. She sat on the couch and read her Kitchen Magazine, passing the time while she waited for her little boy. Then, she heard her door buzzed. She got up from her seat and walked toward the door.

The door buzzed again. "I'm coming!" She hollered.

Hunith opened the door and expected Merlin to be behind it but it wasn't. In fact, she didn't really know who the man was.

"Do I know you?" She asked.

"My name is Valiant Johnson." He beamed a smile at her. "I'm from a British magazine called _"The Talk!"_. Do you know what that is?"

"Yes, I know what that is." Hunith rolled her eyes and answered bitterly. Everyone knew what _"The Talk!"_ was. The memory about the magazine almost tore Hunith to pieces. Then, Valiant's eyes widened a little bit.

"Sorry for being a journalism geek, but you awfully look familiar from somewhere." Valiant looked at her intently and Hunith could feel his eyes studying her, boring into her skin and flesh.

"What are you here for?" Hunith tried to change the subject hoping it would throw off the man and won't recognize her. Only a few magazines and newspapers were able to write a small story of her banishment. She was thankful for that.

"I'm here on behalf of Merlin Phillips. I reckoned you are his mother?" Valiant took a step forward but Hunith didn't move the door open to let him in. It remained slightly opened. Valiant stepped back.

"What do you want with my son?"

"Oh. Just that last night, he was spotted with a very important person."

"Who?"

'Um…It was the Crown Prince of England."

Hunith opened the door wide open and stepped out of the apartment. She crossed her arms and was shock to learn what she just heard. She gaped in front of the man and was curious about the information. _Crown Prince of England? Does he mean Crown Prince of Avalon? Percival?_ Hunith thought. But she's sure the man said England. _And how did this man knew about the meeting last night? Was it public information already?_ But Balinor would warn her first if the royal family planned to make Merlin's identity public.

"The Crown Prince of England? England?" Hunith huffed and laughed a bit. "That's crazy!"

"No ma'am. Your son was seen with the prince." Valiant stood firmly and put his hands on his pockets.

"The prince? Is this a joke?"

"No, ma'am. Your son was seen with Britain's own, Prince Arthur."


	8. The Broken Castle

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

THE BROKEN CASTLE

"My son? With a prince? Like a royal douche bag person sitting on a throne prince?"

Valiant nodded. Hunith observed the man and looked at him from head to toe. This was a man who worked for the god awful magazine. They lied and their intent was to get their story whatever they could get their hands on. That's what she suffered through before. The thought of Merlin befriending a prince was ludicrous to Hunith's ears. Merlin never even mentioned him and just last night, he was stomping madly because he found out his true identity and now he's hanging out with royalty? Just a month ago he was fuming about royalty and about Prince Arthur since he's annoyed by Freya and Maggie talking about him non-stop and oh, he befriended the guy he hated! Hunith rolled her eyes and laughed loudly. Valiant looked at her in confusion.

"Right and my son's his manservant. Well, good day to you sir." Hunith said and was about to close the door when Valiant propped his leg on the door.

"Wait, it's true!" Valiant shouted.

"If you want to have a story about the prince, go interview a naïve blonde girl below my floor. She's been busting a really loud teeny poppy music and its hurting my ears. No, everyone's ears! Maybe she can give you a detailed story on how obsessed she is about Robert Pattinson and maybe she can tell you about your prince too then you can write it for your magazine's front cover. Again, good day!"

Hunith shut the door with a bang, leaving the other man dumbfounded.

 **I.**

 _Katz Deli,_

 _New York._

"You really have to tell me why you have two bodyguards trailing behind your back." Arthur was losing his patience. He has been asking Merlin about them since they got off the subway and Merlin seemed to be avoiding the question.

"Right after we eat!" Merlin took a bite of his favorite Philly cheesesteak.

"Oh come on! You've kept me waiting for ages! I'm curious!"

Merlin thought for a moment. He has been avoiding the question for hours now and Arthur always brought it up every fifteen minutes. The reason he could't answer was that he couldn't come up with a lie at all. His mind was empty, flushed from trying to come up with something but it always ended up barren. All he could ever thought about was King Balinor was his father and he's a prince. Also he has an over protective brother who was willing to raise an army of bodyguards just for him. Then, a bulb lit up above his head. He knew what he has to say.

"It's…my…father." Merlin nodded to him like he's trying to let Arthur understood what he just said.

"Your father?" Arthur asked, confused.

"Yes. Remember I told you I don't know who my real father was…Last night I kind of met him."

"Wow. That's a lot of heavy stuff mate." Arthur drank his soda and abandoned eating his food. "Well, tell me about it."

"The reason I have bodyguards was because…my real father was…overprotective! Yeah! He doesn't want to get me hurt at all. He is super rich and sent out these legion of men in black on my tail. I hated it!" Merlin tried not to look at Arthur on the eye but the blonde haired boy seemed convinced at what he was giving him and was nodding along with him.

"So that's why he gave you bodyguards! I've never imagined your father could be that rich." Arthur realized.

"I'm shocked myself. I didn't expect it at all." _Well, it was true_. "He's a politician. I never really thought my father could be _that_ man, you know."

"Did you punch him? Or screamed at him? Like in the telly?"

Merlin chuckled. "I ran through a wall trying to walk out."

Arthur burst out in fits, dropping a few fries on the floor. "I never heard anyone ran through a wall before! That's new. How did you feel when you knew about it?"

"Broken. Betrayed. Angry. The usual stuff when you learned something you have no idea was coming." Merlin took bite of his sandwich.

"I can relate."

"So, tell me, why'd you come with me?" Merlin wiped the sauce on his lips with his napkin.

"I learned something, too. Although it's not the _"I'm your father"_ situation." He chuckled softly and looked at Merlin who was staring at him. "I just…found out I was to be wed."

Merlin's smile dropped into a frown. "You're…getting married?"

"To a girl I've never even met." Arthur sighed.

"So, it's an arranged marriage?"

"I'm afraid so. My parents planned it for me. I don't really want to talk about it right now though. I'm trying to enjoy my short freedom!" He put on a fake laugh and continued eating his meal.

The news felt like a tidal wave washing over him, knocking him miles and miles away until nothing of his body was left. Too bad the man in front of him was destined to walk on an aisle and to a girl in his arm. He started to hate his parents for suffocating their child and totally didn't give him freedom at all. Merlin studied Arthur's expression and he only saw sadness. He felt sorry for him. They both ate in silence for a while. All the people around them were chatting and since they're table was located at the middle, pretty much they could hear all kinds of conversation from a couple fighting, a parent shushing an infant crying, a family chatting about their daughter's sweet sixteen, and three men who gave praises when they tasted their food.

"So, you said this is a famous deli?" Arthur clapped his hands in one beat and spoke up breaking the tension seeping into the air.

Merlin snapped into reality. "Yeah. Um…it's one of my favorite movies. Meg Ryan's character gave a very convincing orgasm." He rubbed his hands together and smiled at Arthur. "A fake one." Merlin clarified when Arthur smirked at him.

Arthur raised his eyebrows. "A fake orgasm? In public?"

"Yes, it was. It was a very funny scene." He pointed out.

Arthur just shrugged and continued to munch on his food. "You just shrugged. What are you thinking?"

"So?" Arthur looked up when Merlin waited for him to answer. "I don't think a person can fake an orgasm. Especially a woman." he rolled his eyes.

Merlin raised an eyebrow and gaped at him like he just said the most absurd comment of all time.

"I mean to do it in public? That's embarrassing." Arthur added out.

"Why? And you don't think a person can do it in public?"

"Well, if you have dignity then no." Arthur crossed his arms and raised his chest up.

"A woman can fake it! You never saw the movie so you don't know! And this is exactly what they were arguing about."

"Through experience, I don't think they do. I can tell. And I don't need to see the movie to help me with that." He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows. Merlin just rolled his eyes.

"Oh, your women faked it on some occasion." Merlin just shook his head and chuckled under his breath.

Arthur glared at him. He felt insulted at the claim. Women who had sex with him liked it. They don't fake it because they enjoyed it. They're doing it with a Prince! A rich, royal and handsome prince! And he could ride them to mighty kingdom come! At least, that's what he always heard in bed.

"No, they don't."

"Yes, they do!"

"No, they don't!"

"A person can fake an orgasm especially a man!" Merlin argued.

"Oh no, I think he can't and we both knew why." Arthur bent over closer to him and glanced at Merlin's pants. Merlin gaped at him like he's just been sexually harassed.

"Oh yes he can."

"No, he can't."

"Oh yes, he can. Even in public!"

Arthur thought for a moment. "I'm sure he can't. That would be gay. End of discussion." Arthur sat straight up and turned his attention to his food.

Merlin slinked back into his seat and crossed his arms and pouted. This was exactly what Billy Crystal's character thought. He watched as Arthur ate his food. Another light bulb lit up over his head. Like the goddess Meg Ryan did in the movie, he knew exactly what to do to make a point. Plus, this was The Deli! After that movie many people had copied fake orgasms on this joint. He heard one last month! The girl did a poor job though. She seemed embarrassed. What better way to welcome the blonde haired boy in front of him than introducing him to one of the classic New York movies ever. Maggie did it once, and Merlin had been dying on doing it on this place. Couldn't let go of an opportunity, Merlin closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the spirit, essence, and aura of Meg Ryan flow through him.

"Ohh…" Merlin moaned softly and quietly. "Ohh…yes…ahh."

Arthur opened his mouth and was about to take a bite of his sandwich when Merlin's moans reached his ears. He looked up. "Are…Are you okay?"

"Mmm…mmm." Merlin answered in a seductive tone. "Oh yes. Ohh…right there." He moaned softly.

Arthur's eyes went wide as he realized what was going on. "Are you doing what I think you're doing?"

Merlin sunk down on his seat and ran his fingers through his raven colored hair. "Oh…Right there. That's it. Oh…Oh….mmm." Arthur looked around if anyone has noticed. Then, Merlin's moans gradually became louder and Arthur propped both of his elbows on the table and put his hands together as he glared at Merlin hoping he would stop.

"Oh my Jesus, would you please stop." Arthur hissed in a whisper but Merlin winked at him and ignored him.

"Oh yes! Ahh, yes! There! That's it! Oh God!" He moaned loudly. His _thoughts_ helped with his actions. The man behind him turned around and looked at him.

"Oh God! Yes…Yes! Right there! Ahh…Oh…!"

Everyone in the room looked at him as Merlin groaned and cried out. The three men two tables down were giggling and pointing at him. The room was dead silent and they could only hear his moans, echoing through the wooden panels, the thin glass windows, and the sizzling grill from the kitchen. Arthur was gaping at him.

"Yes! Yes! Oh My God, Yes! Oh, Yes!" He moaned in ecstasy.

Merlin thrashed on his seat and hit the table many times with his palm. He thrashed his head from side to side emulating the sounds and moves he saw in one of those porn videos he liked when he's in the mood. He even shivered and tightened his body as he faked his way to the peak.

"Yes! Yes...Oh! Oh! Oh! Ah! Yes! Ahh! Oh, yes! Yes! Yeeessss! Ahhhhh!" He screamed and groaned and moaned as he hissed loudly as everyone in the room got what he was doing and just watched in amusement.

"Oh…yeah….oohh…mmm." Merlin's moans subsided and he sat back up, picked up his sandwich and bit on it.

One of the three men from the table suddenly got up and shouted over to him. "I'd like what she's having!"

Then, everyone in the room burst into an applause. Merlin grinned from ear to ear and got up, bowed down like he's just got done with a performance. Some gave him standing ovation and some even whistled. There was only one person left out and it was Arthur who remained seated and staring at Merlin intently.

Merlin's moans echoed into Arthur's ears. He couldn't get rid of the vision of Merlin having an orgasm even if it was a fake one. The image of Merlin thrashing on the seat almost excited him and he couldn't control the guy down his pants. He was disturbed of what he wa feeling and he needed to breathe. The oxygen in the room somehow depleted and his veins were constricting, the blood going down to where the little guy wanted it most.

Merlin sat back down. "That's how you fake it." A smug look crossed his face. "Oh, by the way, I did it in public, too." Merlin cocked his head and bit on his sandwich.

Arthur just rolled his eyes. He got up from his seat and excused himself. "Bathroom." He muttered and walked away from the table.

Merlin just laughed. "Hey, I was just joking!" Arthur vanished to a corner. "No need to be so upset about it." Merlin continued eating his food and laughed under his breath.

Arthur burst into the bathroom and was thankful no one was around. He turned the faucet on and sprinkled some water on his face. He looked at himself on the mirror as he breathed hard.

"Come on, Arthur. What are you doing? You're not turned on. You're not turned on. I mean, Merlin's a man. You are not attracted to men." He slapped himself several times. Arthur paced on the floor. He ran his fingers through his hair as he thought of something else.

"Twinkle, Twinkle little star. How I wondered what you are…" He sang softly. But the thought of twinkling lights made him wanted to turn his attention to the little guy downstairs so he shook that song away.

 _Breathe, Arthur. It's the moans. You're turned on by the moans. Not Merlin. He's a lad for crying out loud. The moans made you think of something else. Seriously, who wouldn't be turned on when they hear a sex sound? You're attracted to very beautiful women with model looks. Not Merlin. Who was always clumsy and opinionated and insulted you. Who always tried to tell a joke that was not even funny, yet you can't help but laugh. Who has big ears and blue eyes and cute smile, cute butt, too…Wait, why did I just say that?_

Then, a sexy woman in a lingerie popped into his mind, her small thin finger caressing his jaw, urging him to take her right there. A smile crept on his face. He's back. After a couple of minutes passed by, He took a deep breath, fixed himself up, and went out of the door. He walked back to the table as he saw Merlin finishing up with his meal. He sat back down and smiled at him.

"Are you okay?" Merlin asked.

"Yeah. You gave an absolute performance." Arthur complimented him but he regretted it later when _'stuffs'_ slowly crawled their way back into his mind.

"Well, thanks. Now, do you believe people can fake…it?" Merlin wiggled his brows.

Arthur just cracked a smile and took a last bite of his meal. _Yeah, idiot._

 **II.**

 _Emrys Hotel,_

 _The presidential suite._

"What was that?" Morgana stood defiantly in front of her father.

"What was what?"

"The marriage news you pulled earlier." She hissed. She crossed her arms as she waited for Uther to speak up but the old man rolled his eyes and walked toward his room. "Where is Arthur, father?"

"He's with Oswald. The boy needed some space Morgana. I think it's best for him to be left alone for now." He opened the doors and entered the room and found Ygraine sitting on the bed reading a book.

"Don't you think you could have discuss this with Arthur?"

"What was there to discuss? It's about peace between two nations. I'm the King and I want to be followed. Arthur has no choice on this matter." Uther stepped into the bathroom and slammed the door. Morgana stomped her feet and went to her mother's aid.

"Mother, say something." She turned to Ygraine, almost begging, and was tempted to kneel in front of her.

"I'm out of words, Morgana. We had been planning this with the royal family of Avalon for months. And we agreed with this."

"Those are your decisions. Not Arthur's! Arthur would call off the wedding. I'm sure of it."

"Your father decided this. We can't change that. But there's still time. Arthur can fall in love." Ygraine cupped Morgana's face but the girl shrugged it off. "Uther and I were also arranged and look where we are now. A Happy, married couple who loved each other."

"I know my brother really well. He's not going to like his life once he married and became King." Morgana walked out of the room as Ygraine called out for her, trailing behind.

"Morgana, I know you love your brother very much and that you care for him. But his actions are starting to paint a bad image on him. It's in our best interest as loving parents to change that."

"Is it in the best interest of the parents to force someone to marry a person they never even met in their whole life? Mother, Arthur is broken. But that doesn't mean setting him up will solve anything."

"This is a peace treaty." Uther spoke up behind them as he walked out of the room. "It's not signed by paper, it's by marriage. It symbolized that the centuries' rivalry of two countries are now over. Through the years, a paper has lost its meaning, Morgana. It should be in action." Uther gently clasped Morgana's shoulder.

"But it is not love." Morgana shook Uther's hand away and stomped toward her bedroom. Uther tried to follow her but Ygraine stopped him.

"Don't. You know Morgana. She always supported Arthur on his doings."

"I should have never gave her those romance novels and just let her read European culture." Uther sat down the couch and covered his face with his palms.

Ygraine snickered. "They are teenagers, Uther. Of course they would rebel. But one day, Arthur would see why. Although I'm against it, I can see why you have to." She sat next to her husband and rested her head on his shoulder.

"We have argued so many times about this and your telling me you understood?"

"All those times, I do. The only thing I argued about is sacrificing Arthur's happiness for political need. And as a parent…it saddened me to think about it. In fact, why does it has to be Vivian? I certainly see Morgana having interest with Percival and I can see the man felt the same way." She linked their hands together as Uther raised it up and kissed the back of her hand.

"Morgana is to be wed with Sir Gwaine after Arthur. I had been good friends with his father and we both agreed that the two would marry for a very long time. The boy is even fond of her."

Ygraine sighed. "You're playing matchmaker on your kids."

"It is my duty as King and as a father to make them happy and let them have the best of life."

Ygraine got up and kissed Uther's forehead. He looked up to her and smiled. "Sometimes Uther, I wished you could see from our children's point of view in things. You might understand." She walked away from him and disappeared into the bedroom.

 **III.**

Morgana swiftly grabbed her phone and dialed Arthur's number. She was afraid that Arthur would do something stupid. The paparazzi were still down below waiting for him but they had no idea he wasn't in the building. The security of the whole place has been tightened and secured and they all made sure nothing got leaked out again. They were afraid another manhunt for the prince would occurred. After three rings, he answered the phone.

"Thank God, are you alright? Where are you?" She worriedly asked.

"I'm fine. I'm still in the city if you're wondering. I just need to take a hike." Morgana heard another voice at the background asking who he was talking to. " _It's my cousin."_ He said.

"Who was that with you?" She asked, intrigued.

"Oh. Um… Remember the boy I talked to you about?"

Morgana tried to remember then she recalled the time she talked to Arthur last night. "Oh, Merlin, was it? Did you two go to the theaters already?" She said teasingly.

"Like I said, it's not what you think!" Arthur sounded pissed.

"Whoah! Calm down! It was a joke." Morgana laughed.

"Then, that's a very bad joke! It's not funny!" Arthur hissed.

Then, Morgana realized his tone. She recognized it every time Arthur has a crush and she always teased him about it. Her brother always denied having any feelings with some girls or one boy in first grade but she could tell that her brother did have feelings toward these people. He also ruined her dolls every time she teased him. Right now, her brother's tone matched that. Too bad there weren't any dolls lying around.

"Arthur, I have a feeling that you might like this boy, don't you?" Morgana chuckled under her breath as she teased her brother some more.

"No, I don't! Stop it, Morgana!"

"Then, why did you run to him after you heard the news?"

The other line was silent. Morgana fell silent too when she realized something was bothering her brother.

"No, I don't. He's just a friend who I think is a good company."

"Okay, whatever. Are you really okay? I mean, about the marriage? I tried to reason with him about it. He didn't listen. Even mother."

"Thank you for doing that but I don't want to talk about it. Listen, I really got to hang up now."

"Going back to your 'friend'?" Morgana teased again.

"Fuck you." Morgana heard his giggles and she could feel him smile and rolled his eyes as he hanged up the phone.

Morgana sat on her bed silently. She was glad her brother was alright. She mentally thanked Merlin for taking care of him. At least he has company. She hoped one day she'll meet this mystery boy.

 **IV.**

 _Battery Park,_

 _New York Harbor._

It's 5:00 P.M.

Arthur and Merlin strolled silently down the path of Hope Garden, a place in Battery Park that stood as a memorial for AIDS victims.

Arthur admired the flowers blossoming. It truly showed how spring just arrived. He smelled the fresh air and the wind blowing past threw him. It was refreshing for him to be in a place like this. To escape his reality, his world. They had been exhausted walking around the city. After their lunch, Merlin showed Arthur the World Trade Center Memorial Plaza. He was silent throughout the duration of the trip. Merlin didn't talk at all, too. It saddened him to think that years ago, more than three thousand innocent people died on the attack. Due to the high security, he never stepped into this place although he wanted to. He blamed the public and the paparazzi that followed him around. He admired the survivor tree that withstood the collapse and even took a picture of it. He planned on framing it once he got back to England.

He brought him to the harbor to catch a ferry to Ellis Island. They had been waiting in line for more than half an hour and Arthur was enjoying it much to Merlin's agonizing complains. He never waited on a line before because if he was a prince, he'd have a full ride through the security or even rent a helicopter to take him to the Statue of Liberty. He was even chatting with other people on the line.

As they board the ferry, one woman asked Arthur where she saw him from and he told her that he never saw her before but the woman kept on claiming she knew him from somewhere. She gave up when she couldn't remember it. Merlin pulled Arthur on a corner and asked him about it but the boy just denied that the woman knew him. After a few minutes, Merlin stopped asking questions.

Arthur went into the Liberty Island and took pictures there but he was ordered by a guard not to go up the Statue because it was prohibited. He laughed, earning him a confused glance from Merlin. He knew he could climbed up there if he told him he was the prince but he dropped it once he realized he was with company. He also went to the Immigration Museum in Ellis Island and he was fascinated by the things and history there. Although, Merlin was quite bored since he never liked the museum. He felt like there was nothing there.

The whole trip almost cost their entire afternoon and the two men decided to stroll around Battery Park and enjoyed the scenery. Since they were surrounded by buildings and things green were miles away, Merlin decided that it's better to relax their feet in the park before they went somewhere else. They passed by the memorial for the soldiers in World War II and ended up walking toward Hope Garden.

The whole afternoon had been a roller coaster for Arthur's part. He has been battling things inside his head and it all has something to do with Merlin. Every time Merlin laughed he couldn't help but laugh with him and stared on his blue eyes. Every time Merlin talked, he was pulled into an interesting conversation that he never wanted to end. And when Merlin smiled, he felt his heart was being pulled out of his chest and he felt the ground tried to swallow him whole. These conflicting emotions had been tearing Arthur's body inside out. It's a feeling that was rare for him. It's quite the same feeling he has toward Mithian a year ago. That break up had been horrible but their time together was one of the best feelings Arthur had in ages. That feeling resurfaced every time he was with Merlin.

Merlin. This adorable yet naïve fellow who always has an opinion on everything. He admired the boy's passion in art and fashion and to culture around the world. He was delighted to hear him sing too since he forced him into doing it. Every hour and every second, Arthur has found himself more comfortable around him and he dreaded the idea of going back to England without the company of the boy. He realized he'll miss him. The thought of it alarmed him a little. There were still two things fighting in his head. If what he was feeling was simply admiration or that he liked him. He mentally scored the two categories and they all ended up even.

When he was a kid, he had feelings for boys his age, only a couple of them his entire life. He also developed feelings toward the girls, too. He often considered it as normal until he heard his father talked about it being bad and frowned upon. Then, he shunned his feelings toward having feelings with the same sex and focused his attention to the opposite one. From time to time, he became good at hiding it. But his feelings toward Merlin were making his head dizzy. He wanted to pull all his hair out.

The two of them ended up on an empty bench overlooking the sea. The Statue of Liberty was on their field of vision. Arthur sat on the middle and Merlin sat next to him.

"You're awfully quiet." Merlin interrupted his train of thought.

"Just thinking." He mumbled.

"What are you thinking about?"

Arthur just shrugged. "Stuff."

Merlin didn't said another word. He probably was thinking about the marriage. But he felt sorry for the guy and decided to pull him out of his thoughts.

"Foot massage?" Merlin asked.

Arthur snickered and raised his legs up and put it on Merlin's laugh. The boy just glared at him and pushed his legs away and raised his legs up and rested it on Arthur's lap. Arthur laughed harder.

"Do you expect me to rub your toes and feet?"

"It'll earn you a gold star." Merlin said sarcastically.

Arthur never massaged anyone before. People massaged his back, his foot, cooked him food, and brought him stuffs. He realized he never did anything to anybody at all. He was used to people doing it for him. He pulled off Merlin's shoes and started massaging his feet. He pressed small circles at the middle. He heard Merlin moaned a little and did it again on the same spot and pressed harder. Merlin moaned more. He suddenly realized he was quite enjoying it. He shook some ideas out of his head.

"You're quite good at this." Merlin complimented him.

Arthur smiled at him. "Oh yes. I'm a certified foot massager in disguise."

Both of them chuckled softly. Arthur massaged Merlin's feet for quite a while. His feet felt better. Merlin noticed the boy scooted over closer to him. He realized his butt was almost sitting on the boy's lap. Arthur's right hand wondered and rested on Merlin's thigh. He put his arm around Merlin's shoulders and Merlin unconsciously rested his head on his shoulder. They watched the horizon.

Merlin felt his cheeks blushed a bit. He felt Arthur's hands stroked his upper arm and felt the warmth of his hand resting on his thigh. He was confused a bit on why Arthur did such a gesture. They stayed in that position for a long time. A few people wondered and looked over at them both delighted and happy at what they saw, probably because they thought they were a couple, and some shot them dirty looks.

Arthur regretted his actions and remained still while Merlin rested his head. It was like his arm has a mind of its own. His body has a mind of its own! He wanted to unwind from the position but his whole body was telling him no. It was telling him to stay. He didn't know what to do so he lightly touched Merlin's arm and watched the horizon. It was a breathtaking sight anyway and it took his mind off from Merlin's head. After a while, he felt his head getting heavy and it slowly tipped to the side and rested on Merlin's head. Later on, he found himself comfortable in the position. He looked around and saw that some couples were also doing what they're doing. Resting together on the bench or at the step of the stairs although Merlin and he weren't a couple. He smelled Merlin's hair when a whiff of wind passed through them. It smelled like Lavender.

"Did you just smelled my hair?" Merlin looked up. Their heads were close to each other. All Arthur has to do was lean over a couple of inches and their lips could meet.

"No. I didn't." Arthur turned away and looked out to the distance.

Merlin just smiled and rested his head back on the same spot and they remained like that for a couple of minutes.

"Are you happy?" Merlin spoke up.

"Huh?" Arthur turned his head toward him while Merlin remained rested on his shoulders. "What do you mean?"

"The marriage. Are you happy?"

Arthur was silent for a moment. "No. I'm not."

"Then, tell your father that."

"He won't listen."

"Then make him listen. He'll understand."

"And what do I tell him? That I can't marry her because I don't want to? Merlin, I appreciate what you're trying to do but it won't work in my situation."

"Why? Prince, parents listens to their kids. They will listen to what you have to say because you think it's important for them to hear. Don't be like the other people whose afraid to stand up for what they think."

"How about you? Did you say anything to your father?" Arthur shot back. Merlin fell silent. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have brought him up."

"No. It's okay. I'm in the same situation as you." Arthur turned his attention toward him. "I never got them to explain why he abandoned me. I never gave them a chance at all."

"It's like we both have issues of our own." They fell silent for a while and then Arthur chuckled.

"What's funny?" Merlin asked him, confused.

"Fate is funny. It brought us here together to exchange advices or something? Please. Fate really has a good sense of humor. Two kids with troubled pasts meet together in New York. How's that for a plot for a movie?" The two men laughed.

The two talked for a while. Arthur thought Merlin was right all along. He was his father's son and he has the right to say what he has to say and his father should listen. He was pissed that his father never approached him and that he never trusted him at all. Merlin continued on giving him advices on what to say and he listened carefully. Although, he never really has a courage to speak up to his father. He was afraid he might not have a chance at all. His father was hard to reason with and he was scared he might not change his mind. If he ever did what Merlin was saying, Uther would tore him to pieces and dumbed him in the middle of the Atlantic.

The sun kissed the horizon and Arthur realized how fast time passed by. He looked at his watch and realized that it was almost six in the evening. The skies above slowly turned into a pale tint of orange. He remembered his _Book of Mormon_ tickets and he realized that the show was in two hours and they're far away from the venue. Arthur delved into his jacket and pulled out his phone.

"It's time for us to go."

"Why?"

"We're going to see a Broadway play." Arthur beamed at him.

"What?" Arthur raised his smart phone in front of Merlin's face. He read it and the first thing he saw was a receipt of the box set of the theatre. "Prince, that's expensive!" He gasped.

"It's the only seat available so I took it."

"For what?"

"As a thank you for showing me around the city. I'll be gone in a few days so I'm doing this as a gift to you." Arthur grabbed Merlin's hand and entwined it with his. They started walking toward the nearest subway station. Merlin stared at Arthur longingly and a smile crept on his face. He didn't realized he was blushing.

"We didn't have dinner yet." Merlin reminded him.

"I know. I already know what we're going to eat." Arthur grinned from ear to ear.

 **~~~oOo~~~**

Elyan and Barabbas watched at a distance with Oswald behind them. A good distance away from them was Arthur and Merlin sitting and seemed like their cuddling with each other. Oswald did not report to the King that his highness ran off to somewhere else and decided to join up with the two to find him. Elyan asked him about that but Oswald wanted to keep his job for a long time as he could. Oswald did asked who Merlin was and the two just said he was a son of a very rich man back in Avalon.

"They seemed like they're together." Elyan said.

"That seemed like to me too." Barabbas added.

"They don't look like friends." Oswald zoomed his binoculars.

Elyan was ordered by Prince Percival not to disturbed Merlin with his friend and just kept an eye on him from a distance. Although he never told him about Prince Arthur yet. He planned on telling him later. They had been following Merlin around and the three of them were tired already. Oswald mentioned to the two that the boy Merlin's with was a prince but the two revealed to him that they already knew that. They advised him not to tell King Uther and he agreed with the idea fearing he might get fired.

When Arthur and Merlin went into a subway station, the three of them followed. Elyan was suspecting whether the two were together and he was having second thoughts if he should mention these thoughts to Percival. He knew Merlin was gay and Percival knew that too based on the files he had been sneaking into his office lately from his father. But, he never knew that Arthur was, too. He pushed the thoughts at the back of his mind and focused on trailing the two princes around the city. He didn't get the job as a royal bodyguard without having a few good skills. His good at spotting things. From what he has noticed, it looked like Merlin has no clue that Prince Arthur was a royal prince at all. He heard Merlin addressed him as 'Prince' and throughout the duration of the afternoon, no mention of Arthur at all. Although, he overheard them talking about Prince Arthur and Merlin was talking about him without realizing the person he was talking about was just in front of him. It was strange.

Elyan shared this information with Barabbas and the man told him to ask Merlin about it. Since their orders were not to interrupt, he has to wait until Merlin got home.

 **V.**

 _Times Square,_

 _New York._

 _Of course._ Merlin thought. _The boy wanted a corn dog._

The American Corn Dog. Officially Prince's favorite food in the whole city. He led Merlin to the first corn dog stand he came across since he arrived. The vendor instantly recognized him yesterday as the man who ate a lot of his food. He gave him a free stick and Arthur ate all of it. In a span of ten minutes, Arthur has eaten half a dozen of them. Although on the last one, he was eating it slowly like he was savoring every bite. Merlin laughed.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"By the time I get back to London, I won't have the chance to have some of these. So, I'm trying to remember how it tastes like." Arthur spoke with his mouth full. Merlin thought it was…cute.

Merlin only ate two and he watched Arthur in delight. After their sidewalk dinner, the two walked to the theater to watched the show. It's nearing 7 P.M. and the show was about to start in fifteen minutes. A long line of Broadway enthusiasts, Tourists, and newcomers to the show had lined up beside the sidewalk waiting for the doors to open. Prince and Merlin both stood at the back of the line. A minute after their arrival, the doors opened. It took them five minutes for them to enter the building. They climbed up the stairs since the private box was located at the second floor. As they arrived, five empty seats awaited them. Both of them sat at the middle.

Merlin surveyed the theater. Most of the people were talking while they're waiting for the show to start. This would be the third time he watched the show but way back in the theater. Now, he was near the stage and above them and he could see the actors' faces. He never sat on one of the private boxes before because he could never afford it. Who would pay three hundred to four hundred dollars for a chair? He thought Prince was really out of his mind. He did introduce him to Broadway so it was his fault he made the man obsessed to show tunes. He recalled promising him that the show was amazing yesterday. He was itching to ask Prince about the costs of the seats but he decided not to, afraid he might passed out at the middle of the show. Merlin shivered at the thought.

"Are you cold?" Prince asked. He didn't wait for him to answer when he took off his hooded jacket and offered it to Merlin.

"Um…" Merlin was numbed. He felt Prince wrapped the jacket around his shoulders. Prince was a bigger guy than him so the jacket was a little bit bigger and looser. "Thanks."

The lights blinked twice signaling the start of the show. Merlin leaned back on his chair and waited. The lights dimmed and the show started. He realized Prince's arm was wrapped around his shoulders. He was more confused on the gesture. Prince has been acting weird lately. He noticed that he seemed nervous around him and the mention of crushes always made him a bit shifty. And now the cuddling and the arm wrapping? Merlin blushed a little at the thought that Prince was hitting on him. _And there he thought the boy was straight!_ Prince's arm remained there through the whole duration of the first act.

During the intermission, Merlin excused himself to get some water and Arthur asked for one. His arm was sore. He was about to pull it away when he wrapped the jacket around Merlin's shoulders but the boy leaned back and his arm was stuck between the chair and Merlin's back. He tried to move and pull it back but his shirt's fabric was stuck on the chair. He didn't ask Merlin to get up since he saw the boy enjoying the show. He thought it was rude. So, he just ignored it as he watched. The show was entertaining anyway and it totally kept his mind off from his arm numbing every second.

He wiggled and moved his arm around trying to wake it up and kept the blood flow flowing. As if on cue, Merlin entered the room.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he gave him a bottle of water.

"Yes, I'm okay. The show was brill by the way!" Arthur commented and drank the contents of the bottle.

"I told you so." Merlin sat on the chair as the two quietly waited for the second act to start.

When the lights dimmed again, Arthur's arm was no longer wrapped around the raven haired boy's shoulder, even deep down, Arthur wanted to.

 **VI.**

 _Central Park._

 _9:45 P.M._

Merlin's apartment was just across the street from them. There were only a few people in the park tonight, some homeless pushing their carts while others were couples having a stroll for the night. Merlin stopped from his tracks. Prince stopped, too. His home was just across the street and he didn't want to go home. He wanted to keep on walking but he knew he has to face his mother. He knew he needed to learn why his father was the king. He wished he kept on walking for eternity but he needed to stop and listened. He's done walking. He's done thinking. He needed to face reality.

"Thank you for walking me home." Merlin shyly put his hands on his pockets as he thanked him.

"It's a pleasure. I enjoyed spending my time with you." Prince's smile was addicting and it made Merlin smile too.

"Listen, if you get back here again next year or in later years…Call me and I'll surely give you another tour of the city!"

"I will. See you…somewhere. Maybe when you're an official New York tour guide and I'm a professional world class foot massager." Prince chuckled under his breath as he ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. Merlin laughed. "Well, goodbye American wizard. I'll take your services when I ever returned to your city." Prince playfully bowed down his head like those medieval movies and shook Merlin's hands.

They remained quiet for a few seconds. Merlin stared at the boy he'll surely won't see for a long time or maybe never. He had enjoyed his company even if he was bossy and ordered him around like he's a royal prince. Although, the blonde haired boy was kind and sweet. Merlin couldn't hold and control his feelings and decided to do what his gut was telling him to do. He stepped in front of Prince and kissed his cheek. It was soft and warm, and the boy didn't recoil. His lips remained there for a couple of seconds before he pulled out. Prince was rooted on the ground, a statue unmoved by his gesture.

"Goodbye, British boy." Merlin turned his heel away from him and continued to walk toward the apartment building.

Then, he heard footsteps behind him and suddenly a warm familiar hand landed on his shoulder and spun him around. Prince swiftly wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him closer. It all happened so fast.

The only thing Merlin could remember was the soft lips that gently touched his.

Unbeknownst to them, Valiant Johnson was rapidly taking pictures of the two.


	9. Hunith & Balinor

**CHAPTER NINE**

HUNITH AND BALINOR

 **I.**

"Goodbye, British boy."

The kiss left a mark on Arthur's cheek. It burned on the spot. He tried to say a word but nothing came out. He wanted to yell at the boy for kissing him, for bringing this weird feeling to his chest. His mind throbbed and pounded, telling him that it was wrong. It was wrong. Or he thought it was.

As Merlin moved to turn away from him, a rush of emotion ran through his body. He didn't want to let go of the boy just yet. He didn't know why but a part of him wanted to hold on to the boy. And hold on he did. His right foot stepped forward and his other foot followed. It took five steps to reach the raven haired boy. He spun him around, put his arms around his waist, held him closer and planted his lips on his. It happened too fast. It's like his body had a mind of its own.

The warm feeling came back again and flowed freely through his body. It rushed through his chest and stomach and down to his feet. Merlin's lips had never felt good. His heart started beating faster and faster. His brain was in an overdrive and his knees almost buckled. Suddenly, he felt Merlin's arms wrapping themselves around his neck. The events throughout the day flooded Arthur's mind. They deepened the kiss. A moan from the other boy reached Arthur's ears. It made him smile a little. Suddenly, the thought of Uther and the marriage and royalty broke it all off.

He let go of Merlin and he let go of his lips in a snap. He stared at the boy for a moment and was left speechless. He saw Merlin was left speechless, too. Then, he realized he was in public. He looked around, surveying the area, to see if anyone had seen them but the streets were empty and there was no one around. He saw Merlin was in a haze.

He kissed a boy. Arthur's eyes went wide on the realization. He wanted to run away from the place and to think things through. But his gut told him no and to stay and kiss the boy more. Unfortunately, he didn't quite trust his gut at the moment and Arthur just wanted to ignore it and maybe kill it. He stood there, his feet rooted to the ground as he shifted awkwardly.

"I…I should go." Arthur mumbled.

It took Merlin a few seconds to realize what the other boy has said. "Oh yeah…It's late. You should…Um, bye." Merlin stuttered awkwardly.

"Bye."

Arthur turned around and left Merlin standing there. He didn't look back. He delved into his pocket and pulled out his phone and called Oswald. After one ring, the guy picked it up.

"Oswald, I need you in Central Park now. I need to get out of this place." He said it too fast that the guy didn't speak for a while.

"Oh. Oh! Right sire! I'll be there right away!"

Arthur waited at the sidewalk for a while for the car to arrive. It might come late knowing Oswald was probably searching the city for him, waiting for his call. He was quite surprised when two minutes after the call; the car arrived in front of him. He entered through the passenger door.

"Were you just around the corner when I called you?" He asked.

Oswald thought for a moment. "Um…yes, your highness! I was driving around Central park." He turned the wheel and they drove off.

 **II.**

Merlin remained on his spot. He hadn't moved an inch since Prince left him there. He was confused and slightly dizzy. That was his first kiss; he'd never imagined it could've been that good. No, it hadn't just been good, it was amazing. He let go of the breath he'd been holding for the past minute. He felt like his chest was about to collapse and the ground was about to swallow him whole.

He kissed a boy. A boy that he had just met yesterday and had now left a mark in his memory. A boy that he wouldn't see again soon and probably would never cross paths with for a while. He feared he might not ever see him again. He touched his lips softly as he reminisced on the memory. Maggie would freak out once she learned about this. All of his friends would probably freak out about this. Merlin rolled his eyes at the thought.

Then, he realized he just got a 'hit and run' kiss. The boy walked out. He was probably freaked out by what was going on. Hell, even Merlin was freaked out and surprised a little. It was never his intention to evoke such a response on the other guy. Merlin sighed and turned his heel. He shuffled across the street toward his apartment. His fingers still lingered on his lips and his mind was out somewhere. He accidentally bumped into someone as he walked toward the glass doors.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" Merlin apologized.

"It's okay. I'm fine." The man said. Merlin noticed he has a camera around his neck. "I'll be fine. Are you okay, Merlin?" The man smiled at him.

"Yeah…wait, I'm sorry, do I know you?" He asked, confused.

"No. Maybe tomorrow you will. Good night." The man turned his heel and walked away from him as he whistled a hymn in a creepy tune. Merlin pushed him at the back of mind and strutted down the side walk. He hurriedly entered the building. He was about to push the elevator button when Barabbas did it for him.

"Prince Percival is worried about you." Barabbas said in a monotone voice as he glared at him.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "I'm fine Barabbas. See, no scratches or wounds." Merlin spun around slowly and showed his arms to him. "I was just with a friend." Merlin noticed as the man knitted his brows and stared at him in confusion. The elevator door opened and the two men entered.

"And who's this 'friend' of yours?" Barabbas asked.

"I said don't worry! He's just nobody. A British tourist who would be gone in the next few days. I just showed him around New York and probably would never ever in his entire life want to see me again." Merlin fumed. The thought of his 'first kiss guy' not explaining what he did was giving Merlin a bad headache. "Is that bad?"

"Yes. For your security."

Merlin rolled his eyes again. "No one knows who I am. So, security is not really needed."

They didn't talk for a while. The elevator was still on the 6th floor. Then Barabbas decided to speak. "So I heard that Prince Arthur was in the city." Merlin turned around and shot him a dirty look.

"Oh my gosh, not you, too. Seriously I'm going to rip someone's throat the next time I hear his name! Everywhere I go all I hear about is him and I don't want to hear about it from you. He's probably sitting on his throne right now with girls in his lap and getting himself piss drunk." Merlin ranted.

"Right. You don't really know Prince Arthur so…I'm sorry your highness." Barabbas muttered.

"Of course I don't know the guy but from what I heard he's a prat." Merlin looked around the elevator when he didn't see the other guy who always wore a trench coat. "By the way, where's Elyan?"

"Um…beating a guy with a camera down the block." Barabbas answered in a monotone voice.

Merlin looked at him in confusion then a second later, burst out laughing. "I didn't know you have a sense of humor, Barabbas!"

When Merlin saw his apartment door, his stomach sunk down and almost fell to his butt. He was about to face his mother. He was thinking about running away again but his mind was telling him no. It was about time to learn everything about why his father was a king and why he was born as royalty. He fished out his keys and put it in the keyhole. He turned the knob and opened the door. He walked in silently. Barabbas obviously stayed outside.

The smell of apple pie reached his nose; his mother had baked him his favorite dessert. He walked to the living room and found his mother watching the television. She turned around and saw him standing there.

"I…I baked you some pie." She got up quickly and walked toward the kitchen. Merlin followed her. "This isn't a bribe or anything to hear me out just a pie for my son. Because I know it's your favorite and I love you but this pie is a…" She mumbled.

Merlin just smiled at her. "Its fine, mom. Thank you."

Hunith looked up to him and smiled. Merlin sat on the chair as Hunith passed him a plate with a piece of pie on it. Merlin could smell it and smiled. Hunith sat down across from him.

"We need to talk." Hunith started.

"I know." Merlin took a bite of the pie.

Hunith didn't speak for a moment and stared at her son as he ate. "Are you sure you wanted to hear this now? Because we can talk tomorrow."

"I want to hear it. I've been walking and thinking and I think I'm ready for it. I won't judge you or anything if what you're about to tell me is bad."

Hunith nodded. "Thank you."

"Now, what happened before, mom?" Merlin asked cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood.

"It's a very long story. After I got pregnant I was…"

"I want to start from the beginning." Merlin interrupted.

"The beginning?" She asked curiously.

"Yes. I mean, how you ended up with…a royal dude. I want to hear everything." Merlin gave a half smile at her mother. She smiled back at him.

"Well," Hunith paused. She had been practicing what to say all day but her mind had gone blank. How was she supposed to tell him about her banishment unless she started from the beginning? "I met Balinor in the most unusual of places. My family and I were gathered around the bank of a river for a picnic to celebrate my graduation from university. We always gathered there anyway every sunny summer. But that day was different. I knew something was different the moment I stepped on the green grass and touched the warm water. I had no idea what I was getting myself into until I realized I couldn't look back."

 **III.**

 _19 years ago,_

 _Ealdor, Avalon._

"Hunith, where do you think you're going?" Gaius asked as he pulled some bread out of the basket and put it on the cloth spread across the ground.

"I'm just taking a walk with Charlotte." Hunith put her arm around the blonde haired woman beside her.

She had just graduated University after studying Botany for four years with a dear friend of hers, Charlotte. They'd been best friends since kindergarten and Hunith couldn't have survived without her. They'd shared their own secrets together and they'd been through thick and thin through all their problems in life, including boys.

"Don't take too long", Julian called out.

Julian Essetir had been a farmer for twenty five years and was a proud father of two. As an act of appreciation to Julian, Hunith studied botany to help her father with the farm. Although Gaius was doing government work in the palace, Julian was proud of his kids' life and careers. Ever since his wife and he divorced, Hunith and Gaius had remained supportive of them. Seeing his daughter graduating put a smile on his face. In fact, he didn't stop smiling for days.

"Alright, Mr. Essetir!" Charlotte called back.

The two girls walked down the bank talking and giggling to each other. Charlotte was bound to marry a farmer's son in the next few months and she had offered Hunith to be her maid of honor. Hunith gladly accepted. After Charlotte had accepted the proposal, she has been bugging Hunith to find another man to spice her life up. Hunith had been in countless blind dates throughout college set up by her best friend. She appreciated it, but she only had one man in her mind.

"I saw Marcus staring at you yesterday at the party", Charlotte nudged her on the elbow.

"No he was not!" Hunith argued.

"He was. He even asked me if you were single. I guess four years out of town and out of his sight has made him realize how much he really likes you."

Marcus had been Hunith's crush and love throughout elementary and through high school. In fact, she still liked the man. She was surprised the man even talked to her at Charlotte's graduation party in her house, but she wasn't really sure whether his intention was just to sleep with her or not.

"I've seen that man kiss a dozen girls at our school dance before. I kind of don't trust him in a relationship." She pointed out.

"Oh come on Hunith. We both know you've been crushing on him for a long time. He's a grown and mature man now with a wine business going not far away from Ealdor. Maybe you and he could have a very large plantation and who knows, maybe even be rich!"

"The thought does sound tempting. But I'm a farm girl. Dairies, animals, vegetables and corns are my specialty." She said defiantly.

"I know Marcus is your first love. There's no harm in knowing he wants to marry you!" Charlotte nudged her again.

The two girls laughed again when they heard a splash and rustling not far away from where they were standing.

"Shush, did you hear that?" She hushed.

Hunith listened and put her attention on the bank. She swore she heard a splash but Charlotte didn't hear anything. The chirping of the birds and the sound of the wind distracted her. But at the corner of her eye, a body was lying behind a giant rock. It was not moving.

Hunith and Charlotte rushed toward the rock and found a man lying still behind it. Hunith knelt down beside the stranger and rolled him to his back. He was not breathing. She checked his pulse and it was faint. He turned to her best friend.

"Charlotte, go call my father now! And call an ambulance!" She shouted. Charlotte hurriedly got up and ran off.

The man wasn't breathing. His pulse was still faint. His face was cold and pale. His clothes were all wet and she believed he might've drowned. She opened his mouth to try and feel his breath but nothing came out. Hoping she wasn't too late, she pinched his nose with her thumb and forefinger, opened his mouth a little and touched his lips with hers. She gave two full breaths and after that, started to compress his chest with both of her palms. She hoped he wasn't past the point of saving.

"One, two, three, four, five, six…Come on! Seven..." She counted under her breath.

She continued to press on his chest, but there was still no sign of breathing from the man.

Hunith put her mouth to his again and gave him another full breath and started pressing on his chest. Suddenly, the man jerked and rolled to the side. He coughed the water out of his lungs.

"Oh my God! Thank you! You're alive!" Hunith shrieked.

The man remained lying on the ground as he held Hunith's hand. His vision started to clear as he looked around him. The first thing he saw was the blue sky up ahead. He thought he was already in heaven when he heard the cries of a woman. He turned over and he found the woman hovering over him. He pulled her closer. "My brother? Where's my brother?" The man asked anxiously.

"I don't know. You're the only one here." She answered. She noticed Gaius and her father running down the slopes toward her.

"You saved me…" The man suddenly fluttered his eyes closed and Hunith screamed at him to wake up. She hit his chest again with her fist but the man didn't open his eyes.

Gaius knelt beside her and attended at the injured man. He gasped in surprise.

"Oh my god…"

"What?" Hunith asked in confusion.

"Hunith, this is Prince Balinor!"

 **~~~oOo~~~**

"You saved him?" Merlin asked in shock.

"Yes. I did." Hunith chuckled for a while. "But it was a grim day for him though. That meeting didn't come with a price." Hunith went into a deep thought.

Merlin stared at her curiously, studying her expression. "Why? Did it have something to with why you guys aren't…together?"

"Of a sort." She answered.

 **~~~oOo~~~**

"Is he going to be okay?" Hunith asked her father.

"He will. The doctors said he received some minor injuries." He informed her. The two were sitting at an empty bench. Nurses and doctors were running around the hallways going who knew where. Hunith had been fidgeting on her seat for the past hour hoping that the man she saved was safe and out of harm. Charlotte had gone back home since she's scared of hospitals.

"Gaius is still not here." Hunith looked around for him.

"He left for the capital ten minutes ago. Don't worry, your brother will be reporting to the king. The royal family will arrive here shortly." Julian patted her arm and assured her everything will be alright.

Reporters and news crews had parked around the hospital when they'd learnt about the accident half an hour ago. It was madness outside the building. The people were trying desperately to get in but the local officers tried to hold them back. There were many people crying and screaming and praying for the prince to be well and safe.

Hunith looked up at a small television screen on the wall televising Prince Balinor's car accident. Rescue crews and the media had been searching for another body, Prince George, the crown prince of Avalon. Hunith thought about what the man said earlier. It was something about his brother. If he was talking about the crown prince of Avalon then where was he now? She hadn't seen him beside him and if the crown prince was in the accident, she feared he might be floating on the river. She shook that idea out of her head.

After another hour, the royal family arrived in the building. The media outside went wild taking pictures and filming as the family entered the hospital. It was a doleful sight to see. King Elman's disheartened eyes were filled with pure sadness. Princess Nimueh tried to block her face as the cameras flashed in front of her as they entered the lobby.

Julian bowed his head down lightly as Hunith curtseyed when they approached. The King acknowledged their presence.

"Are you the family that saved my son?" Elman asked.

"Yes we are, your majesty." Julian answered politely.

"Thank you. There will be gifts delivered to you and for your daughter for your kind deeds in the next hour or, you could name your price and I would give it to you."

"Your majesty, there's no need…"

"I insist. If it weren't for all of you my son would be dead. Now where is he?" He turned to the doctor beside Julian.

The doctor started to lead them to where Prince Balinor's room where he was resting. Princess Nimueh smiled at them as she passed. Hunith smiled back.

"I'm happy he's okay." Hunith whispered on Julian's ears.

"Dear, you saved his life. I'm proud on what you've done."

The two looked in from the small window. Prince Balinor hugged his father with joy as he approached. It was the first time Hunith had seen the King cry. Nimueh was delighted to see her brother well and safe. The room was filled with tears and happiness and Hunith couldn't help but smile at the scene.

"At first I thought you were going to die." Nimueh hugged him tightly. Tears started streaming from her blue eyes.

"Shh… Don't say that. I'm glad I'm not. I'm like Merlin!" He joked. "Where's George?" He asked hoping there was news about his brother.

Elman and Nimueh looked at each other in worry. "They haven't found him yet." The king told him as he slowly found Balinor's hand and held him.

Balinor didn't speak for a moment. "Well, I hope he'll be okay."

King Elman and Nimueh hugged him again. A rush of relief and joy swept over them. Balinor looked over from Nimueh's shoulder to a small window where two individuals were watching them. He recognized the woman at the right instantly as his savior. He smiled at her.

The woman smiled back.

 **~~~oOo~~~**

 _Five Months Later…_

The royal family of Avalon had given many gifts to the Essetir family and even gave Gaius one of the highest positions in the royal family. The King had visited the town of Ealdor twice to thank them. Prince Balinor on the other hand had visited the town more times than Hunith could count.

Prince George died instantly from the accident. He was found seven hours later trapped under a giant tree branch sticking out of the water. Balinor was broken and somber when he heard the news. He didn't take it well. He stayed in a state of grief for weeks. The whole nation was in a mournful state. For a month, everyone wore black and paid their respects to the loss of the nation's crown prince and once future king. It was televised around the world.

The future king of the kingdom was gone. All eyes were set on the next heir, Prince Balinor, who was not ready to take on the responsibility as King. For many years since his birth, all the attention went to his older brother for he was meant to inherit one of the richest countries in the whole world. Prince George didn't have a child to pass the crown to and he wasn't married. Balinor, on the other hand, had the young Prince Percival although his wife died in childbirth a year ago.

Balinor visited the town once a week to pay his respect on the same bridge where the accident happened. During these visits, he visited Hunith a lot. He talked to her and Hunith helped him deal with George's death.

In time, the two became good friends and he even invited her to one of his summer vacations to the royal parties down in the capital. Hunith admitted that it was not her scene though, so Balinor instead stoleher away to Italy where they spent a week tasting every local food in the country. Food to Hunith was like heaven so she enjoyed the trip with a passion.

While Balinor had been introducing Hunith his life of luxury, Hunith has been showing him what it meant to be a farmer's daughter. The prince had tried to milk a cow and sow a corn field. He even tried to feed the pigs and cook turkey, much to the dismay of his father who always argued with him on visiting Ealdor. Balinor fell in love with the place and planned to put up a royal house in the town as his residence.

Overtime, Balinor grew fond of Hunith. Her charm and passion of things inspired him to be a better person. It inspired him to move on from George's death and accepted the responsibility as the crown prince of the nation. As a return of appreciation, he helped her with wooing her crush, Marcus. He bought her beautiful dresses and instructed her how to act in front of a man, especially when she liked him. He set up a restaurant for Marcus and Hunith although Hunith always protested to him that the date didn't really go well but she enjoyed spending time with him.

Slowly, Balinor found himself falling in love with the woman who saved his life. He thought of asking her out on a dinner now that Marcus was out of the picture. He intended to get to know her more and laugh with her. To hold her hand and smell the scent of her hair. He wanted to do all these things with her. He even thought of asking her hand for marriage and having a family with her, even though his father, nor his sister, agreed on his feelings. Under the law of Avalon, a prince would marry a person of noble blood. It had been a long time since a royal married a common citizen. Hunith was a daughter of a lower class man. Balinor couldn't do anything about that.

"What is this?" Hunith studied the small envelope on her hand. She hurriedly opened it and read the words written on it. She gasped in surprise. "An invitation?"

"I'm inviting you to my coronation event. I'm going to be the official crown prince by tomorrow night." Balinor smiled at her. A sad look crossed Hunith's face. "Is something wrong?" He asked. He was worried that Hunith might not accept it.

A week ago, he confessed his love for Hunith although she never really said anything back to him. They sat in silence as they watched the sun set from the horizon. A couple of days ago, he said the three words, but again the woman remained silent. He feared that what he was feeling right now might not be returned.

"No! Nothing's wrong. It's just…I don't have a dress to wear." Hunith extended her hand with the intention on giving back the letter.

Balinor snapped his fingers twice and a man came out of the car. He opened the trunk and pulled out a white box. He walked toward the porch.

"Hunith, this is your dress." Balinor pointed at the box as the man opened it.

A beautiful and elegant diamond beaded strapped, floor length purple satin dress lay before Hunith's eyes. It must have cost a fortune. Her eyes went wide in shock and excitement as she saw the name of the designer sketched at the right corner of the box. This came from Paul Smith, one of Avalon's most well-known designers. She hadn't even seen the dress featured in fashion magazines yet.

"Is this…"

"Tailor-made? Paul is a dear friend of mine and I asked him if he could make a dress for you."

"Balinor, I can't."

"Please, this is a gift. Without you, I might be holed up inside my room drowning myself in liquor." Balinor laughed.

Hunith hesitated for a moment. She had already told Balinor she never liked parties where everyone dressed to impress and outshine the woman next to them. She feared the dress might not look good on her since she has suffered through many horrible dresses from formal school dances to the black tie events in town. Balinor kept on insisting that the dress would look great on her and after a couple of minutes of convincing, Hunith accepted the gift.

 **~~~oOo~~~**

"The dress upstairs? That's Paul Smith's?" Merlin gaped at her in shock.

"Yes it is. It's now a vintage Paul Smith's design since it's already lasted twenty years." Hunith crossed her arms and smirked. "By now, it could fetch at least one hundred grand, easy."

"No wonder you always told George never to touch it!"

"Of course! I'm planning on selling it in the near future. That's the only design he made."

Merlin laughed and shook his head. "I can't believe you got a design from him."

"Me too." Hunith took a plate and served herself with a piece of pie.

"Balinor said he loved you yet you never said it back. Why?" Merlin took a last bite on his piece and she served him another.

"Different things started to clash inside my head. Too many opinions and thoughts of things that were happening around me."

"Does this have something to do with you getting out of the country?" Merlin asked.

"No, not really. But this was one of the reasons why."

 **~~~oOo~~~**

Jealousy. Jealousy and wonder was in everybody's faces. Their eyes were full of envy and spite. They whispered and asked about the woman in a purple dress who just entered the room. The wait staff, even their assistants had no idea who the woman was except Balinor, whose eyes were intently focused on her. She gracefully walked down the grand staircase and strutted towards him, smiling brightly. He couldn't help but smile back. His heart was pounding and time around him seemed to freeze. The woman's name was Hunith and Balinor was falling head over heels in love with her.

Balinor was right. The dress didn't just look great on her, it looked amazing. She was stunning. Everyone in the hall was talking about her. Her simplicity outshined them all. Everyone was wearing too much jewelry or too many accessories on them. Some even wore tight dresses that made them look like they couldn't breathe in it. The others wore gowns and dresses that were bigger than them and a few wore dresses that were shorter and totally inappropriate for the event. Well, their intention was to get the attention of the prince but somehow his attention was on Hunith alone.

Balinor took her hand, bent down and kissed the back of her hand. Hunith blushed a little at the gesture. Some people raised their eyebrow at the scene and even whispered at each other.

"You look beautiful." Balinor complimented her as he stared at her longingly.

"Thank you…you also look…princely?" The two laughed awkwardly.

"Thank you for coming."

"An hour ago I was contemplating whether to come or not."

"I'm glad you did."

Lady Catrina suddenly appeared beside him carrying two glasses of champagne. She never noticed the woman standing in front of him. "Here your highness. Champagne for your big evening." She took a sip of her glass. Balinor took it and gave it to Hunith.

"Perhaps you would like some?"

"No thank you. I don't drink." She refused.

Catrina turned her attention on her. She eyed her fiercely, glancing with contempt at she was wearing. She was wondering who this stranger was, it was rare for Balinor to speak to women other than her and those close to him.

"And who are you?" She interrupted.

"I'm Hunith Essetir." She smiled politely at her but Catrina never returned the gesture.

"Lovely. Who invited you?"

Balinor rolled his eyes. "I did." He glared at her. Catrina was silent and avoided his stare.

After a minute of awkward silence, Balinor extended his hand. "Shall we dance?" He asked, bowing lightly his head.

Catrina smiled and beamed at him. "Of course!" She said excitedly.

"We've danced a couple times before, Catrina. I was asking Hunith if she would like to." He turned his head to Hunith who blushed suddenly.

"I'm sure she'd be fine. She could sit for a while and maybe eat the meals served for the night. I heard it totally fills your stomach." She glared at her and eyed her from head to toe with spite.

Hunith flashed her a fake smile and rolled her eyes without Balinor noticing. "I'm not hungry. If you are, they could serve all of it on your table. Seemed like you need it." Hunith shot back. Catrina just gaped at her in shock.

Hunith took Balinor's hand and he dragged her to the middle of the dance floor where they danced gracefully. Balinor and Hunith were both smiling and laughing at each other while the people around them were staring at them. It was a scene of a fairytale that reminisced to everyone with Disney's Cinderella.

Catrina crossed her arms and mentally stomped her feet as she watched the two dance. She swiftly took another glass of champagne from the server passing by and gulped it all down her throat. Princess Nimueh stood beside her.

"What's the matter?" She asked.

"It seemed your brother is pretty fond with that woman." She answered harshly.

Nimueh instantly recognized her the moment she laid her eyes on her. "Ah, Hunith. Savior of Balinor" She informed her.

"The farmer's daughter he can't stop talking about?" Catrina asked, intrigued.

"That one." Nimueh rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. "He can't stop talking about it in front of me, too. Even to my father."

"I hope he doesn't get a hobby of this, Nim." Catrina remarked rather bitterly.

"Oh, Catrina, I'm your best friend. I can assure you that I think he won't." Nimueh smirked at her wickedly and Catrina just smirked back at her.

Hunith was beaming all night. She was smiling and dancing and laughing along with Balinor. She didn't care when people whispered when she passed by the corridors or when they judged her right in front of her. She didn't care that she was dancing with a prince because to her, he was just a guy, her dear friend, who she was falling helplessly in love with as the night slowly passed. No, she didn't care at all.

Balinor grabbed her arm and dragged her along the long empty corridor, leading her into an empty study hall. Hundreds of books were resting on the bookshelves that stood against the walls. Some of them even dated back before to the times before King Henry VIII.

"I thought we could get the hell away from formal greetings and shaking hands and take a breather for a while." He scoffed.

"I agree. I kind of felt guilty hogging their spotlight." She laughed as she sat down on the soft sofa across from the lit fireplace. Balinor walked toward her and sat next to her rather closely.

"But did you enjoy the evening?" Balinor asked, worried that his invited guest would say no.

"One of the best nights I've ever had." She smiled tenderly. Balinor gazed at her longingly. He slowly entwined his fingers with her as Hunith caught his eyes and locked it with hers.

"Mine too." He whispered sweetly. Suddenly, he leaned forward and captured her lips and sealed it with a kiss.

Hunith was flabbergasted. She didn't know what to do. Then, her arms suddenly rose up and snaked its way around his neck. Balinor put his arm around her waist and kissed her more deeply. Hunith closed her eyes. Everything around her disappeared. This was the first time someone kissed her like this. She could feel her leg was about to pop up. Then, Balinor broke off but lingered closely in front of her lips. Their eyes met and they were left speechless for a second.

"I know Hunith that we only met a few months ago. And I've told you twice already that I love you and that I wished you felt the same way. I guess what I'm asking is, would you like to be with me?" He asked with a serious tone. Hunith didn't say anything; her eyes looked down away from his. Balinor understood the gesture. It was doubt. "I know I have a son but he's a good son. He would love you. In fact, he already is dying to meet you." He persuaded.

Hunith looked up. "It's not that!" She protested.

"Of course not! Wait; does it have something with me being the future king?"

"No. It's just…I don't know, Balinor. I don't know." She flapped her hands around. "I'm sorry."

A guy rushed into the room and announced his presence before bowing in front of the prince. "Your highness, His majesty has asked for your presence in the ball."

"Thank you." The guy bowed his head again and quickly left the room. "It's probably my coronation. We should be there." Balinor got up with rather heavy shoulders and seemed dejected. Hunith watched him as he disappeared behind the door. She suddenly picked up her speed and bolted after him. She flung the door open and found the prince walking toward the hall. She ran toward his side and entwined her fingers with his and stopped him from his tracks.

She leaned over and whispered into his ear. "I think I love you too."

 **~~~oOo~~~**

"Then what happened?" Merlin asked excitedly and urging his mother to continue.

"Well, we dated for almost two years after that and…"

"And then what?" He interrupted.

"I got pregnant. It was you." Hunith smiled happily as she reminisced from the memory. "Although we weren't married yet, we asked for his father's approval but…" Hunith looked down and stared at the slice of pie sitting on a plate in front of her.

"But what?" Merlin's smile dropped down into a frown.

"Well, he being with me wasn't approved by the whole royal family. When they learned Balinor intended on marrying me, they…freaked out. They said it was against the law. Although I did argue during that time that it was the twentieth freaking century and not the medieval ages but it was tradition that it has to be noble blood. Balinor disagreed with the law and changed it. We were bound to marry. Your brother was even excited about it. He even promised that by the time you are born, he would take care of you and be a good brother." She sipped on her glass of water.

"He promised?" Merlin asked, surprised when he heard it.

"He swore to it for weeks." She pointed out and laughed.

They were silent for a while as their laughter died down. Then Hunith shifted awkwardly hesitating whether to tell her son the next part of the story. "I got banished after that."

Merlin gaped in shock, eyes wide. "Banished? I thought you said you just left Ealdor!" Merlin attested.

"There's a reason for it."

 **~~~oOo~~~**

 _17 years ago,_

 _Ealdor Castle, Avalon._

Ealdor castle was built a year ago as the official residence of the crown prince of Avalon. Here lay twelve bedroom chambers, fourteen bathrooms, three grand halls, four study halls, a grand staircase, and a twelve acre garden at the backyard. Every day, the house was filled with light and life. Percival's laughed echoed across the halls and the staff was all happy working under the wing of the prince. Everyone was treated equal through the insistence of Hunith.

Everyone loved her and was so excited to hear that she would be the future queen of the kingdom even though it hadn't been announced to the public yet, except the royal household. By next week, a grand party would be hosted by the crown prince himself. He intended to surprise the guests that the said gathering would be his and Hunith's engagement party.

Though, that day seemed a little grim on Hunith's taste. It was raining heavily outside and the wind was whistling loudly. It also didn't help that King Elman and arrived to have a _"talk"_ with his son in private. She had been waiting in the living room completely ignoring the opened book in front of her. She had abandoned it right after she opened it. She was fidgeting and rather impatient and curious as to what they were discussing. It sounded like it was very important.

A man in a black suit entered the room and bowed in front of her. "My lady, the royal family asks for your presence."

Hunith smiled at him in courtesy and walked toward the study hall. The moment she opened it, a gush of cold wind passed through her. It shivered throughout her body. She felt cold. A fireplace was lit and she proceeded to walk toward it. She was thankful for that. King Elman was standing near the window, looking outside the heavy rain.

She looked around and found Balinor sitting on the sofa silent and rather gloomy. He didn't look at her when she entered the room. Something was really wrong.

"You asked for me your majesty." She announced her presence and King Elman turned around and walked slowly toward the study table.

"Do you know why you're here?" He glared at her.

Hunith felt a little bit light headed from his glare. It was intimidating and Hunith glanced at the door for half a second hoping she could run and hide from it. She shook her head. "No, your majesty. I do not. Am I in some kind of trouble?" She asked, worried as she looked around the room and half hoping that Balinor would speak up.

Elman huffed. "Trouble? You're in a scandal, young lady." He crossed his arms and glared at her menacingly.

"Is it true?" Balinor finally spoke up and Hunith was relieved. But his tone was accusing and he stared at her with sadness.

Hunith was confused. "I…I'm sorry but I'm lost. I don't know what we're talking about."

"About your child." Elman looked down at her small bump. "Is it true that it's not my son's child?"

Hunith's eyes went wide with protest. "This is Balinor's child! What is this? Why are you asking me that? Isn't it clear he is the father?" She argued and pointed at the man who sat across from her.

Elman walked toward her and gave her a folder. She jerked it away from his hands although she didn't really care when the king shot her another glare. She read the papers contained inside it and it was basically a report of her cheating with another man. That her pregnancy was a lie and of another man's child.

"No…This is all lies! I didn't do this!" Hunith threw the folder and the papers on the ground.

"A few people have come up to me and said that what was said there was true and all their information rang similar to each other and some of these people were strangers to each other. How do you explain that?" Elman claimed.

"I'm being set up! Whatever the papers said it is not true!" She tore up. She looked at Balinor for a helping hand but the man sat there silently and in a deep thought.

"Bring them in." Elman ordered to the man in black standing beside the door. He left quickly and a few seconds later, three of the people Hunith knew entered the room.

Marcus was in his usual suit since he now owned a good wine business. Charlotte entered with her garden clothes and her father followed with a guilty look crossed his face the moment his eyes laid on his daughter crying and standing a distance away from him. Charlotte seemed uncomfortable there too. Marcus stood with composure and calm. Like he belonged there and had a right to be there.

"These are the people who came forward to me, Hunith. Do you think they're lying?" Elman raised his arm and presented them like they're an exhibit.

Hunith looked at the three of them with a confused and betrayed look. "What?"

"Is it true?" Balinor asked once again.

Without skipping a second, Marcus spoke up. "Yes, your highness. The child is mine."

"That's a lie!" Hunith objected.

"Silence!" Elman screamed. "You are still in the presence of the king and I hope you respect that! It is not your turn to speak. It's theirs." He glared at her. He nodded at Marcus to continue.

"The moment I learned about the child, I immediately confronted her about it and she protested it was Prince Balinor's child, but I know it was mine. She later admitted it was mine and that the child could have a better life living in a royal household so we came into an agreement that its best for the child but, I had a change of heart." He said convincingly and Balinor pursed his lips and stare at an imaginary object on the floor. "I want to keep the child." Marcus declared. Balinor shot him a look of doubt and a glint on his eyes said that he didn't believe what the other man said.

"It is true sire." Charlotte spoke up and Hunith felt betrayed. She felt like her heart was about to explode out of her body. Her best friend was accusing her of the things she didn't even do. A friend who she has treasured and shared secrets with for many years. A friend she trusted all of her life. She turned pale. "Hunith confided with me about this matter and I agree to keep it with her. But I know part of my heart felt this was wrong so…I told you about it."

"I bet this felt wrong too." Hunith muttered.

"Hunith!" The cry came from the man beside what used to be her best friend. A man who she knew all her life and had loved since birth. It came from Julian. "Please, dear, don't lie. This is not the life I wanted from you." Julian walked slowly toward his daughter and held her hand.

She pulled it away from him with force. "Father! How could you?" Hunith choked, betrayed. It felt like a million rocks was about to fall on to her head. She turned around and looked at Balinor who, at that moment, was standing and gaping at her feeling betrayed and abandoned and foolish. She could see through his eyes that he believed now what they were saying.

"Is this true?" He asked. Tears started streaming from his eyes. He curled his hand into a fist in anger yet a part of him hoped that this was all a lie. Yet, the words came from her father as well.

"Balinor, I beg you, don't believe what they were saying, even my father! They've been bought!" She pleaded.

Balinor looked at Julian. A man who was kind and gentle and would never ever do such a thing. A man who he cooked turkey for and who'd complimented him even after his dismal attempt. The man he was ready to call his father the moment Hunith was wed to him. This man would never lie to his daughter who he loved very much. He would never ever do such a thing.

Balinor stomped out of the room in a fit of rage. He passed by Marcus, turned around in second, and landed his fist on his jaw. The man fell toward the ground instantly and Charlotte knelt beside him to check if he was alright. He was knocked out. Hunith tried to chase after him but Julian grabbed her arm and held her back. Balinor walked out of the room.

"Because of this infidelity, I ask you not to see Balinor again. Ever. I want you to leave the country although you are welcome to stay but I can assure you that your life would never ever be easy." Elman threatened before walking out of the room followed by his guards.

Hunith cried for weeks before setting up a plane leaving to America and lived with her mother. She never forgave her father although he was pleading and kneeling in front of her for forgiveness. His betrayal hurt and Hunith swore she would never see his face again.

 **IV.**

 _Present day_ _ **.**_

"Then, seven years later, Balinor became King of Avalon. He married Catrina even though she already had a daughter from her first marriage and I was lost in memory." A tear streamed from Hunith's eyes and she quickly wiped it off hoping Merlin didn't saw it.

"Those fuckers." Merlin muttered in hate.

"No! Merlin, don't ever hate him." Hunith pleaded.

"Why the hell not? They hurt you." Merlin reasoned.

"It was his father's doing. Not his. He is still your real father. All they said weren't true and Balinor found out about it."

"He found out?"

"Yes, he did. He found an abandoned file in the palace and it was about Elman bribing my friends…and family to cooperate with him. Threatening their business and their family if they didn't comply. He threatened my father, too. It was all Elman's work." Hunith informed him. "That's why two years into his term; he searched the globe for you. He tried to find you, Merlin, and when they did, they kept tabs on you. He didn't want to disturb you from your normal life. He wanted you away from the troubles of being a royal." Hunith got up and walked toward her son. She sat next to him and held his hand. "Your father loves you."

"If he doesn't want me to be a royal, what was that last night?" He asked, irritated.

"That was just Percival being himself, too excited on meeting you. He was impatient. He searched for you too, you know." Hunith cupped his cheek and smiled at him. "We both love you. Gaius, George, all of us. We hid it from you because we wanted you to live life. I don't want you to live a life behind everyone's expectations of you. Cameras trained at you every single day. Gossip magazines talking about you harshly. I don't want that. It would destroy you."

Merlin smiled at her in appreciation. "Thanks, mom."

She smiled back and got up. "I'll clean the dishes and you need to go to bed. It's late." She started grabbing the plates off the table and putting them into the sink. Merlin got up and proceeded to the stairs. "And Merlin," Hunith called out and Merlin stopped from his tracks and turned to face her. "Go to your father tomorrow. They want to meet you."

Merlin thought for a second. "I'll think about it."

"And if you do decide to go," Hunith picked up a piece of paper from the side table and handed it to him. "That is their address."

Merlin nodded and headed up the stairs while Hunith watched him before returning back to the dishes.

After watching a couple of episodes from " _How I met your mother",_ Merlin decided to go to bed for the night. No matter how hard he tried or how many sheep he counted in his mind, his eyes seemed determined not to flutter closed.

His thoughts wandered back to what his mother just said. The past was a scary place to visit and he appreciated his mother doing that for him. He still couldn't accept the fact that he was a son of a king and he was destined to sit on a throne ordering his servants to cook him meals or run to the nearest McDonalds and order him a big Mac. He imagined himself doing it but it never stuck at all. It scared him off.

He wondered if the royal family would even give him a choice in the matter. What if there was no choice but to comply and be a prince? He envisioned the royal police, or whatever Avalon's forces were called, would barge into the house, kidnap him and drag him to the palace. He would be pleading of course, and cursing at them and would probably try to fight back. They would glue him on the throne to make sure he never escaped and would be entertained and visited by other filthy rich (yet plastic) people who bowed down in front of him and kissed up to him to gain favor. It would be a slow painful death for him if that was the matter listening to everyone's problems and sitting for balls, galas, and parties and state events. Then, they would force him to marry a woman he never even met or just said hello in gatherings. He would try to have children and heirs.

But he was gay for Christ sake. He would puke the moment he saw a lady's private part right in front of him and would probably cry and sob himself to death if they had to do it in bed. He'd passed out right there. His imagination scared and grossed him out so much that he put a pillow over his face and beat the crap out of himself just to shake the image of making love to a woman out of his head.

Then, a light bulb lit up over his head. What if he told them that he was gay and maybe they would shun him (even though it would hurt a little) and they would get rid of him, maybe even forget about him. Merlin thought about it for a moment and agreed that it would be totally worth it. The royal family would turn their backs and walk away from him leaving him with a normal life as it should be. They would forget that he ever existed. Just like the Prince from India, that he can't remember his name of, that got cut off from his family because he came out of the closet. Now he was living life to the fullest without royal duties! In fact, didn't Balinor (or father) want him to have a normal life instead of joining the household?

Yes, tomorrow he would try to get rid of them or persuade them that Merlin Phillips being a royalty was a totally bad idea. He should probably bring his school records with him just in case they needed proof on what exactly his thinking and decision skills were. He needed to do what was right and what would restore the balance of the world. He guessed that the likely scenario would be that they would give him no choice at all. He didn't want to be a prince. He didn't want to be stuck in a life his mother had suffered.

He got up and marched toward his study table, pulled out a pen and a piece of paper from its drawers, and wrote his speech for tomorrow.

After the thirty-fifth sheet was crumpled and thrown to the bin, Merlin gave up and returned to bed, deciding to improvise tomorrow instead.

He lay down on his bed hoping sleep would come to him, but the thought of Prince and the kiss slowly crept into his mind. _Oh God, this is going to be a very long night._


	10. Rivalry

**Chapter Ten**

RIVALRY

 **I.**

 _An hour ago…_

Elyan and Barabbas couldn't believe their eyes. It took Elyan a while to realize what had just happened. His back was itchy, hiding behind the bushes but it disappeared the moment he saw Arthur's lips meet Merlin's. There, behind the bushes were two, no, three grown men gaping in shock and bewilderment at the sight. He turned and looked at Barabbas who matched his expression.

"I told you they weren't just friends!" exclaimed Elyan, hitting Barabbas on the shoulder with his fist.

Barabbas rolled his eyes and flapped his hand trying to hush Elyan down hoping the two didn't hear him. Then, out of the corner of his eye he spotted a photographer taking pictures of the scene. "There!" Barabbas pointed to the west of them. The couple didn't notice him.

"I've got it." Elyan started to get up but Barabbas stopped him.

"They'll see you!" Barabbas hushed. "Wait for a minute when they part and then follow him."

Elyan nodded in agreement and they waited. A minute passed before the two young men walked their separate ways. Oswald seemed confused at what he had just seen and was hesitating whether or not to report it to the King. But his loyalties laid with Arthur, not with Uther. He knew that informing the King would land Arthur in big trouble. If news broke out he liked another person and that person was a man, Uther would have his head and his prince would probably hate him for good. Then, his phone rang. It was Arthur's. Elyan watched as Oswald fumbled with the phone. The prince did not hear the ringtone from behind the bushes. He quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"Oswald I need you in Central Park right now! I need to get out of this place!"

"Oh. Oh! Right sire! I'll be there right away!" He whispered over the phone and hung up. He bolted out of the bushes as Arthur turned around and vanished from the corner.

"Thank you lads!" he called out to the two in a hushed voice. "I'll see you around!"

After Barabbas and Elyan watched him go, they got up from where they were crouching and followed Merlin across the street without him noticing. The photographer was walking intentionally toward him. A rush of fear ran throughout Elyan's body. He stiffened, hoping that the man didn't intend on harassing the boy. Barabbas pulled Elyan into a corner.

"Follow him now. I'll handle Merlin." Barabbas pointed at the man.

They watched silently as the photographer and Merlin bumped into each other. Elyan quickened his steps, ready to protect the prince when Barabbas stopped him.

"Easy", Barabbas told him. "He's not doing anything."

"He knew about the prince! We should do something", Elyan protested and tried to wiggle out of Barabbas's strong arms.

"Look!" He pointed as the photographer walked away from Merlin and continued down the lane. "Nothing happened! Now follow him and destroy that camera." Barabbas commanded before crossing the street.

Elyan followed the guy from the other side of the street, hoping the photographer wouldn't suspect he was being followed. The man seemed happy and was even twirling around the empty side walk before stumbling into a bar, like a dancing bear at one of those silly cartoons he used to watch when he was a kid. The man seemed to hesitate for a moment then after a minute of standing and pacing from the entrance, entered the joint.

 **II.**

Valiant Johnson has never been more impatient in his entire life. He'd been ordered by Morgause to wait for the boy to show up. He has been waiting for almost ten hours though, and the boy hadn't come out of the building once nor entered it. He knew his bitch of a boss was probably drinking her cocktail somewhere in a nice, warm, cozy hotel in Manhattan while he was freezing his ass off to death in a tiny car.

Just four hours ago, the warm springtime weather stopped and the temperature dropped suddenly. This was supposed to be spring break. He expected sunnier months and warmer weather than what he was experiencing right now. He was singing an old British folk song softly on his seat when he caught two people walking down the path in the park from his rear-view mirror. He instantly recognized the blonde boy the moment he took off his hat and his glasses. It was no doubt the prince of England, Prince Arthur.

He immediately wrestled with his bag trying to pull the camera out, which managed to get stuck inside. He hauled it off with force and its contents fell out of the bag. Valiant ignored all of them and proceeded to open his door and get out. He switched his camera on and rapidly took pictures of the two. Then, a second later, he watched as Arthur kissed the raven haired boy. He hit the jackpot.

He took more pictures. _These would be worth a million! No, millions!_ He assumed happily. He knew that once he presented them to Morgause, he would receive a promotion and be the richest man in the industry. He envisioned himself building another company that would rival Morgause, and he would shoot that bitch down the drain. He would be the new King of _"the Talk!"_ He could see it clearly now. His future was swimming with money.

He was astonished to see Arthur leaving the boy like that. _This must be a secret love affair!_ He thought. He could see the front cover of the new issue of Talk and what it would be: _Prince Arthur's romance in a closet._ That would earn a lot of readers for the company and break the hearts of many girls, who would probably come after blood. The royal family would be devastated the moment this came into the public's hands. Valiant smirked wickedly.

He sauntered down the sidewalk towards the raven haired boy and "accidentally" bumped into him. He played the creepy tone so well that he rattled the boy, who quickly shuffled his way towards the apartment building. A warm feeling spread throughout his body. He was no longer cold. He twirled around like a giddy girl, dreaming of the near future, one where he'd be drowning himself in money. He shuffled his way down the sidewalk and found himself standing in front of a bar.

He hesitated for a moment. He promised to be sober whilst he was trying to find Arthur in New York, but this was a time of celebration! He shook his head, cursing the fool he was for breaking his pledge but he couldn't turn back to his car once the smell of alcohol reached his nose. His left foot stepped forward and was followed by the other, and before he knew it, Valiant found himself sitting at the bar holding a glass of brandy with one hand and a small bowl of nuts in the other. It was a good night.

"So, what's the occasion?" A man in a trench coat suddenly appeared out of nowhere and sat next to him.

"Huh?" Valiant grumbled, obviously a little bit tipsy. He drank his fourth glass of rum and an old fashioned. He signaled the bartender for another glass. "Who are you?"

"Oh. Where are my manners, my name is Elyan." He extended a hand. He shook it.

"What a pleasure to meet you! I'm Valiant. I'm just celebrating my new promotion!"

"A promotion? Why, that's good news! This should be celebrated with lots of drinks!" Elyan called for the bartender's attention. "Beer? Scotch? Name it and I'll buy you a drink." Elyan offered.

Valiant knitted his brows and tried to discern his actions. He suddenly grinned and laughed. "If you're trying to get me drunk to have sex with me then you are out of luck because I'm not gay." He took another gulp from his drink. He took off his camera from around his neck and put it right beside the bowl of peanuts, just half an arm's reach from Elyan. "And this is no gay bar."

"I have no intention of doing that. I'm simply an employee who also received a promotion and would love to celebrate with a fellow drinker!"

"Ha! I guess a lot of people have been promoted these days. Well, well. I would love to have a beer thank you very much." Valiant finished his fourth brandy.

"Hey! Easy. You might get drunk."

Valiant laughed. "I think I'm already drunk. No matter, it's a celebration, right?" The bartender gave him a bottle of beer and he gladly took it and chugged it down. Elyan took a sip of his.

Elyan glanced at the camera. "So what are you, a photographer?"

"Good guess! Yeah, I am. In fact, the reason for my promotion is right here." He pointed at the camera. Elyan swiftly picked it up.

"Really?" The man was fascinated, even turning it around to pretend he was trying to get a good view. "I've never touched an expensive camera before. What pictures did you take?"

Valiant wiggled his finger from side to side and laughed. "Can't tell you. By tomorrow you might know about it. Oh, and be careful how you hold it. It might…"

Valiant reached out as the camera slipped off of the stranger's grip. He caught the camera before it hit the ground. Adrenaline rushed throughout Valiant's body. He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt the camera in his grip. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I was just…" Elyan started apologizing.

"No, it's okay. My baby's fine. Even if this breaks, I still have the memory card! So, it's all fine" He smiled and laughed it off.

"Another drink then? To make up to the near accident." Elyan offered as another glass was served.

"Yeah mate! You French people really love to drink!"

"I'm actually Avalonian." Elyan corrected him.

"I'm sorry. It's because of your accent. It tipped me off. And what's an Avalonian doing in New York anyway?"

"Well as I said, celebrating my promotion."

"What was it you're celebrating about?"

"Nothing, really. Just beating a paparazzi until he swears, 'I won't release it!' right in front of my face."

Valiant looked at him in horror. Elyan glared at him. He almost jumped when the man began to laugh, a full laugh that was loud, turning heads around the bar. His face softened upon realizing that the man in the trench coat was just joking. He laughed. "Good one."

"Due to diligence and hard work, my company promoted me."

"And to that we celebrate." Valiant raised his bottle and click their bottles together.

"Ten dollars. Raise you to the finish with this drink." Elyan smacked the bill in front of him on the table.

"You're on!" Valiant happily accepted the challenge.

A few minutes later, Valiant chugged, and ultimately won, the drinking game his new found buddy challenged him to. He won all three challenges from him and the man in the trench coat wasn't looking good at all.

"I'm sorry but you're already drunk my friend!" Valiant said.

"You are pretty drunk yourself."

Valiant was already heavily intoxicated. He laughed at the smallest things. Elyan kept on ordering him bottles of beer for half an hour before he started to speak in a slur. "I'll be rich by tomorrow and no man can stop me!" Valiant claimed.

"Lend me that money once you get it!" Elyan joked.

"You're a good guy. A while ago I thought you're going to kiss me!" Valiant laughed hysterically. Elyan got up from his feet and playfully tried to kiss him, and he held him back, when his arm accidentally spilled the bottle of beer right on Valiant's shirt. "Shit!" He cursed.

"Now, I think you need to take that shirt off." Elyan smirked.

"You, my friend, are funny." Valiant tried to wipe away the stains from his white shirt to no avail. He got up and proceeded to go to the bathroom. "I'll be back!" He said impersonating Arnold Schwarzenegger's terminator while at the same time wiggling his fingers in front of Elyan.

The moment Valiant vanished around the corner, Elyan picked up the camera and opened the memory slot. One card was inside and he pulled it out. He looked around to see if anyone noticed and found everyone doing their usual business. He hid the chip into his pockets. Valiant stumbled down toward his seat a few minutes later having taken off his shirt, only wearing a blue undershirt.

"All done!"

"Great! Well, friend, I'm afraid I need to go. I have an early meeting to do tomorrow. It's nice drinking with a fellow European." Elyan patted him at the back.

"I felt the same way. Good luck on your job. As for mine, I'll be swimming and sleeping on money by tomorrow morning!"

The two shook their hands together and Elyan hurriedly left the joint. He pulled out the memory card and dropped it down the drain, where it was gone forever.

Valiant ordered another beer. The bartender offered to call him a cab and Valiant harshly shook his offers away. Without a choice, the young bartender complied and gave him another one. He picked up his camera and turned it on. He wanted to see once more the pictures that would make him a rich man. He wanted to pick out the best shots to present to Morgause when he stepped into her suite. He would probably pick a close up of the lip lock, something the whole public would see that yes, Arthur was kissing another man in public.

But no pictures showed up on the little screen. He rapidly clicked for the next shots hoping they were there but they were also gone. He checked to see if his camera was broken but it was working functionally. He quickly turned the camera over and opened the SD slot and found the memory card gone. Then, he realized Elyan must've had it. He rushed towards the door and bolted out. He looked around the street hoping he wasn't far away and that he could still catch up to him but the man in the trench coat had vanished. He was nowhere to be found.

 **III.**

 _Emrys Hotel_ ,

 _The Presidential_ _Suite_

Arthur Pendragon sat silently on the sofa looking out the window. Half of the lights in the room were off casting a shadow on where he sat. Only the buzzing street below echoed in the room. It has been a long night and Arthur thought intently about what happened in the park. The event replayed in Arthur's mind more times than he could count.

The kiss sent shivers down his spine. He was bewildered by his actions. He should've turned back the moment he realized his feet were walking toward Merlin's direction. Now, he was in a situation that was awkward for him and for Merlin, and one that he couldn't escape easily. He knew his actions would haunt him for many weeks, maybe even months.

He felt like it was first grade all over again, the time he saw a nice boy sitting across from him. The moment their eyes met, it was like hundreds of thousands of butterflies were about to burst out of his stomach and Arthur couldn't control himself. It took his breath away. Back then, he had a crush on two girls, but the other boy was such a trouble maker around the playhouse, Arthur was amused of him and developed a little crush. He repressed that feeling for a long time once he heard his father making a remark that it was wrong and that it was unnatural. That feeling didn't go away for quite a while and after it was gone, it only resurfaced the moment he met Mithian.

Mithian was beautiful, that Arthur could guarantee, and so sweet and gentle. He'd never fallen in love with a person that quickly or that hard. The feeling he experienced when he was a child came back to him every time he looked or gazed at the woman. Of course it wasn't long before they broke up, and he was devastated. But Arthur promised himself that he would only remember the happy times they had together, since they were the best years of his life. Now, that feeling came again in the form of Merlin, the raven haired buffoon who insulted him so much he couldn't help but find it amusing. Arthur couldn't stop thinking about him. When he was sitting at the back of the car being driven away by Oswald back to the hotel, Arthur realized he wanted to go back to the park and talk to him, maybe even kiss him a bit more. But he didn't know what to say. He felt guilty for being such a fool as to leave him hanging there. Merlin must be so confused by his actions. He cursed himself for being such an airhead.

He wondered what would Uther say to him once he told him or found out what had happened. He has feelings for a boy he only met two days ago. He chose to repress the feeling and ignore it but every time he thought about something else, Merlin's face crept into his mind. Even the thought of marrying Lady Vivian didn't help. Then he realized he was about to be married. Arthur sunk deeper into his seat once he realized that his life was in the deepest darkest corner of hell. He couldn't escape. He couldn't crawl out. He had nothing to do but suffer.

Arthur realized he wouldn't be seeing the boy again; He was going home in two days' time! He would forget about Merlin. He would be back in London 3500 miles away from the raven haired boy. Through experience, he proved how easy it was to forget someone by just staying as far away from them as possible, like how he did with Mithian. Maybe this 'little' crush on the boy was just a phase. Yes, that's what he would do.

He opened his phone to see what time it was and the first thing that came on the screen was Merlin's number. Its silly nickname scrolled on the screen. Arthur frowned. His thumb ran through the keypad and lingered on one button hesitating whether to delete the number or not. His mind was racing. Half of his brain wanted it gone but the other half wanted to hold on to it like it knew that he was going to call him later. He was planning to but he never really had the courage to push the call button. After a while, he gave up and threw the phone on to his bed.

"Well _Wizard Merlin_ , it seems you've put a curse on my life."

The door opened and Lancelot peeked in and saw Arthur sitting silently from a corner. He pushed the door farther. With a whisper, he asked, "Hey mate, is everything alright?" Arthur did not answer. Lancelot remained standing outside the bedroom and Arthur waved at him to come in after a while. "Don't just stand there; you can come in if you want." The prince said. Lancelot laughed and shuffled his way inside carrying two bottles of beer and lent the other one to him. He sat next to him and propped his feet on the small coffee table in front of him.

They sat in silence. Lancelot turned to his cousin, unable to hold back the events of the day. "So, I heard about the marriage."

"Never saw it coming." Arthur chuckled.

"Well, your father certainly found a way to extinguish your little rebellion." Arthur punched him on the shoulder playfully and both of them started laughing.

"You know my father, he's a clever man. He can do everything, that one. I never expected him to say, 'I want you married and you have no choice in the matter'." He chugged down his beer. "Never saw that ship coming."

"Did you talk to him?"

Well, he did. After they got back from the meeting, Uther tried to talk to him. Even Morgana knocked a couple of times to discuss it but he shrugged them both away. He reckoned Uther would try to persuade him to go through with the wedding and about the benefit of the country and his responsibility as future king. It was the usual talk that he heard many times before.

Lancelot caught on his silence. "I guess not then."

"I don't really want to talk about it. I'm exhausted. I don't have the energy to argue with them about the matter." Arthur laid back and closed his eyes.

"Well, what did you do after the breakfast? I heard you ran away to…somewhere from what Oswald told me."

"I met with…someone." Arthur wasn't really sure whether to talk about it with Lancelot. But his cousin has been with guys before. It was no secret in the family. Uther wasn't really approving of it though but he never really confronted him about it. He just let him be.

"Someone, huh? Who is this person?"

"Just…a," Arthur paused. _Girl_. _Boy. Girl_. "Boy." He shifted slightly on his seat once he told him.

Lancelot raised his eyebrows at his direction. "A boy? What did you guys do?"

Arthur knew Lancelot's tone and he knew he meant something else. He rolled his eyes. "We just…tour the city. I…We went to the empire state building, the statue of liberty and some other places in the island." Arthur sat up and faced him, waving his hands and arms around like he was casting magic. "And…I bought him tickets for Broadway."

"Just the two of you?" Lancelot wiggled his eyerbows.

"It was just a thank you gift!" Arthur punched him on the shoulder.

"Whoah! Calm down. Saddle your horse a bit. I'm not accusing you of anything." He laughed.

The two men fell silent for a while as they drank their beer. Then, Arthur put down his bottle on the coffee table and turned to his cousin. "Okay, promise you won't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you, especially my father." Arthur asked him in a serious tone.

Lancelot dropped his bottle. "Okay. You can trust me with anything. You know that." He assured him.

Arthur knew he could trust Lancelot since he's the only person he confided with his secrets since they were little. Yes, even the first grade feelings about the boy and Lancelot kept that secret. Arthur did the same when Lancelot's bisexuality was a secret, until his cousin proudly came out of the dinner table. There was a little pang of jealousy there when his uncle and aunt accepted him right away. But, Arthur knew they have each other's backs through thick and thin and he did not want to lose that.

"Remember the secret in first grade?" Lancelot realized what he meant and nodded at him. "Okay, I might have a problem like that."

Lancelot's eyes went wide and leaned closer. "What is it? Is it much worse than that?"

"I might've kissed the boy that I met today." Arthur looked around the room.

Lancelot gaped at him. "What?"

"You promised!" Arthur pointed a finger at him.

"I know! I know! But why?"

"I don't know what happened. It just happened. And it happened in the park. And our lips happened to meet and it just happened so fast. It happened, happened like…" Arthur blabbered.

"Okay, stop with the happen thing. What happened next?" Lancelot interrupted him.

"I…ran away?"

After a second, Lancelot realized what he just said and burst out laughing and shook his head.

"Okay! I'm a fool! I shouldn't have done that!" Arthur raised his hands. "But I kissed a man!"

"Oh my god, this is like first grade all over again."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Can you please, let's just not discuss this? It's awkward with you laughing at me." Arthur sunk deeper in the sofa. Lancelot continued to giggle. "Oh please. You look ridiculous." The other boy ignored his insult and continued laughing. Arthur glared at him. "You are an asshole."

"Oh come on! What did it feel like anyway?"

Arthur thought for a moment. There's only one thing that came out of his mind. "It was like Mithian." Silence fell in the room. "Yes, definitely Mithian."

"You're…in love?"

"No! For Christ sake Lance, don't say that! It's been two days! I'm not in love with the boy. I'm just…having _similar_ feelings!" Arthur protested.

"If it felt like Mithian, Arthur, that means something heavy. I mean, really heavy. When you two broke up, you were not normal for months! It scared us, remember that? What exactly did you feel the moment you…you know?"

"Like a million butterflies trying to burst out of my gut. Well, it felt like a raging bull though. Okay, promise me you won't tell anyone? Besides, I won't see him again since I'm going back to England anyway. It's probably a phase."

Lancelot chuckled silently at the absurdity of the remark. "Fine. But does he know he kissed you? I mean you being a prince?"

"Um…No. He never recognized me." Arthur felt guilty and ashamed. He should've told him who he was. He bet that Merlin would freak out once he found out that yes, he kissed a royal prince. A prince that he hated, no, disliked a lot. He felt like a prat. Minute by minute he realized how true that title was.

"You git! Way to kiss someone, Arthur! I would pay to see his reaction though." Lancelot chuckled as Arthur punched him on the shoulder. "What's his name?"

"What? So you could find him? Stalk him?"

"Just tell me his name. I promise I won't hunt him down just to see who he was." Lancelot raised his palm as a promise, and even spit on his hand and crossed his heart.

"You're overreacting. And it's Merlin. His name's Merlin." It sounded like music to his ears.

"Well, just to let your mood up. I met someone too." Lancelot smiled and sighed, laying back on the sofa. "Pretty much we're having a good day."

Arthur just rolled his eyes. "For you. Not for me. Big difference." He guessed this was probably the twenty-fifth (or more than that) person Lance had been with. "A girl or a boy this time?" he asked lazily.

"It's a boy."

"Let me guess, you did it?"

"No, we did not." Arthur raised an eyebrow in surprise. "But guess what? He's not who you think he is", Lancelot smirked.

Arthur turned his head towards his cousin waiting for the _'big revelation'_. And if it came from Lancelot, he knew it would be big just like how he told him about Lance Bass being gay and how he was sure that Martha Stewart would one day go to jail, which she did eventually.

"He is of royalty from Avalon." Lancelot grinned. "He might have come for the gala tomorrow night. It seemed there's going to be more royals than last year's event." He paused. "Funny thing was, I've never seen him before though." Lancelot was lost in thought.

"Ah. So it's a match from heaven then." Arthur chuckled. "Well, what was his name?"

"His name's Colin, Colin of Ealdor and third cousin of Prince Percival."

"He's a prince?"

"Well, he never really introduced himself as a prince but given he is the cousin of Percival, I guess he is."

"Then, he must've come here with the royal family. I didn't see him in the breakfast this morning though. I'm quite surprised you haven't done anything with him." Arthur pointed out.

"He's…how do you put it? Um…different." Lancelot tried to explain. Arthur knitted his brows together in confusion. "Well, he was nice. A bit of a book worm since I met him in the library. Had adorable glasses, sweet smile and uh…oh! Cute big ears! I even tried to impress him with my knowledge with books. I think it didn't worked since he was a bit…uncomfortable from what I noticed." Lancelot smiled as he reminisced with the memory.

The thought of a guy with big ears reminded Arthur of Merlin. He shrugged the memory off. Arthur was more surprised to hear about his cousin's effort. Usually, Lancelot never made an effort to woo a woman (or man) into his arms. It just happened like a flick of a finger.

His cousin continued, "In fact, he is going to the gala tomorrow night!"

"Well, Lancelot, maybe tomorrow you could introduce me to your…um, new found love."

"I'm not in love!"

"Well, it sounded like love at first sight to me!" Arthur teased him.

"Okay, fine! He definitely pulled a chord in my heart." Arthur rolled at the cheesiness of what his cousin just said and huffed. "And my flirting may not have worked on him this time but I'm definitely going to win him tomorrow night!" He raised his fist on the air.

Arthur just laughed. "That's the spirit. Let me know how that works out for you."

After a while, their laughter died down. They silently watched the skyscrapers over the horizon, taking in the beauty of the city still wide awake. Arthur turned to Lancelot. "Thank you for being here. You're the bestest mate I could ever have."

"You too. And I promise that your secret's safe with me."

Arthur smiled at him. "You know, we've been best friends since we were, heck, babies. I won't let anything compromise that kind of friendship."

Lancelot chuckled and huffed at the claim. "Not even if we both wanted one toy or thing like before?" Arthur shook his head. "We won't fight even if Star Wars completely trumps Star Trek by a mile?" Arthur paused for a moment then shook his head. "Not even if we have secrets bigger than the other?"

"No. Not even that!" Arthur answered surely.

Lancelot fell silent and thought for a moment. "What if…we liked the same person, then?"

Arthur sat straight up and put his hand on Lancelot's shoulder and looked at him right on his dark brown eyes. "Listen, not even if we were both in love with the same person. I promise."


	11. Double Identity

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

DOUBLE IDENTITY

 **I.**

 _Okay, Merlin,_ _it's gonna be a very big day!_ _Merlin thought_ _._

Usually, Merlin never got nervous about anything. Well, except for public speaking which was a nerve racking, palm sweating deal. There was once a mock debate in his freshman history class and the only words he could utter were "Um…" and "Uh…" then he ran out of the room to puke in the men's lavatory. It was embarrassing, and later on became his bullies' staple reason for mocking him. That and he was gay. But Merlin has come to terms with the fact that he was not really good at talking to large crowds and learned to ignore their insults. His head may be full of opinions, but the thought of speaking into a large crowd of hundreds, maybe thousands, just didn't click in his mind. And now, he's nervous of talking to only one person.

Maybe it's because he's meeting Balinor, _his father,_ for the first time, and he was only just one person! The idea of it just scared him. Well, he was a man who was supposedly his real biological father but should he bow his head when he met him? Should he address him as your majesty? But he was his father so that wasn't really necessary. Should he call him father then? Well, the latter didn't roll off of his tongue well every time he tried to say it. Merlin lay down on his tiny bed. He glanced at his clock when the short hand and the long hand exactly stroked eight o' clock.

He thought about meeting his father all night along with Prince's unexpected kiss over and over. He was still mad at him for not explaining what happened and leaving him with questions. He was unsure whether their time together was not a tour thing but a date and that what prompted Prince to kiss him. But he was about to be married! Maybe it was his fault that the blonde haired boy kissed him. He did, in fact, kiss him first but only on the cheek. _Did that incited him to do the same? But why on the lips then?_

All night it has been back and forth. One minute Merlin was thinking about Balinor and royalty, and then the next couple of minutes, it would be Prince. It was giving him a major headache. He only slept for five hours and the moment he woke up (that was an hour ago), he was thinking about it again. _This is enough!_ Merlin fumed in his thoughts. _I'm ending this! God or no angels, no titans or hallelujah from above, I'm ending it!_

Suddenly having the courage to get up, Merlin hopped out of bed and went straight to his bathroom. He took a quick shower and after that, he went out toward his closet. He pulled out a blue hooded jacket, his favorite yellow shirt, some pants, and his shoes. It was simple but that was what Merlin was going for. To show the royal family he wanted to be simple and not wear those designers clothes or suits that they wear that seemed to be choking them whenever they wore it. He was not going to wear suits and tacky polos for the rest of his life. The thought of him wearing those made him cringed. _All formal wear for the rest of my life? No thank you._ He'll miss his cardigan shirt.

Merlin found the piece of paper his mother handed to him that wrote the address of his father's home. It was lying under the crumpled papers that were supposed to be his speeches to the royal family about how they'd ruined his mother's life. He decided to clean it up later. He didn't know why his mother forgave them for what they did but who could blame her? She was really the most innocent and nicest person in the world. Heck, even in the whole island of Manhattan. And why didn't Balinor _, father_ , ran after her by the time he found out about the truth? Surely if he truly loved the woman, shouldn't he go after her? Not marry someone because that was just ridiculous.

Merlin swiftly opened his door and ran down the stairs. Elyan and Barabbas quickly stood up from their seats, like deer on headlights, which Merlin really thought was funny, and bowed their heads to his direction both muttering another title to address him. It sounded like sir from Barabbas but from Elyan's lips, Merlin could hear the 'your highness' words. Merlin rolled his eyes at the gesture.

"Was that really necessary?" Merlin asked irritably.

"Well," Elyan started. "You are a prince of Avalon and Prince Percival instructed us to treat you with the same respect as the royal family." He beamed at him. Merlin already observed how patriotic Elyan was. Even though he has specifically instructed them to not call him _that_ , he still said it. This man must be a really loyal servant to the royal family.

"You know I haven't really accepted my position yet." Merlin pointed out. "Plus I'm not known to the public so technically, I'm a nobody. From what I read in the novels," Merlin was pointing out in the Princess Diaries stories which he loved, "I'm not a prince." He stated. "Yet."

Barabbas smiled at him. "But you are born with it."

Well, it was true. Merlin started heading toward the door when Hunith stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked behind the kitchen.

"To Balinor." he paused. "I mean, father." Merlin wasn't really sure whether to call him that yet. It still didn't roll out of his tongue smoothly.

Hunith peeked in the hallway from the kitchen and looked at her son. "Oh. Elyan and Barabbas could take you."

"No!" He raised his palms to stop them. The two men froze from their spot and stared at him in confusion. "I mean, I should do it alone. I don't want to be escorted in a black limousine with a little flag in front, which screamed _"Hey! Look at me! I'm important!"_ That seemed too…" He motioned his hands for the others to speak and helped him out.

"Obvious?" Elyan chimed in, not really sure what Merlin was trying to say.

"Yes! Too obvious!" He laughed nervously. "It would be too obvious. I mean, it's a royal car, right? So I can't be seen with it. People would ask who I was and we can't have that happening when I'm rolling down 5th Avenue, right?"

"But the cars are tinted, so—"

"No but! I am going alone!" He turned his heel when he noticed the two men still following behind him. He stopped and turned around. "Stop following me, please."

"But your highness, we are ordered to watch over you." Elyan answered.

 _Stop calling me that!_ Merlin mentally stomped his feet. Merlin thought for a moment. _Orders huh?_ Well, they did say he was a prince and they bowed down in front of him and they even said to treat him equally like the royal family. Equal. That's the magic word. But could he order them to do stuff for him? He was the son of their king. Surely he could bark out orders for them. Merlin finally gave up on his thoughts and went with his gut.

"Elyan, Barabbas, I order you to…um…stay here and never follow me." He barked.

Elyan and Barabbas stood there, dumbfounded for a moment, and then Merlin heard Barabbas tried to hide a snicker and Elyan trying to hide his smile.

"No offense your highness, but we do have our protocols. We will protect you and we will follow you by the order of the king." Elyan informed him.

"Well," Merlin was embarrassed that he was laughed at. "I am his son."

"We will escort you to the royal house." Barabbas offered but it was more of a command.

Merlin took a deep breath and exhaled, giving up convincing the two that he didn't want them to come. "Well, after you."

 **II.**

 _Emrys Hotel_

"I don't want to come!" Arthur insisted.

"But Arthur, this is an important breakfast with the King of Avalon!" Uther fumed.

"Important? More important than yesterday?" Arthur ranted. "Because you could have told me so I'll know what to expect there when I get in there. I look like a total idiot."

Uther massaged his temples as he closed his eyes listening to his son rant. "This is for your own good, Arthur."

"Own good?" Arthur thought that was the most preposterous claim he has ever heard in his entire life. "Father, you don't know what's good for me."

"Enough! You are my son and I expect you to follow what I say. I raised you better than that."

Arthur fell silent but he never lost eye contact with his father. He glared back at him.

"Lady Vivian won't be there so…it's okay to go." Uther assured him.

Arthur looked up to him and the moment he looked into his father's eyes, he knew he understood. "Father, why do you want me to marry her? I mean, I hardly know her."

"It's for the country, Arthur. And once you are king, you would understand why it's my decision." Uther put both of his palms on Arthur's shoulders and looked him on the eye gently. "From the moment I lay my eyes on you and held you for the first time, I promised to myself and to your mother that I would make your life the best that a father can give to a son. A love never understood by anyone, especially you. I did things to make your life better and prepare you to a world much crueler than you can ever imagine." He paused.

Arthur was surprised they ever had this conversation. Usually, his father just scolded and gave him a lesson with a bit of shouting back and forth. They never had a moment where Uther explained things for him. It usually was _'follow me or you'll regret it later'_ kind of thing. It was a complete new territory in their relationship. A soft side he never saw once until now. He did no know how to react, shifting on his spot as he felt his father's weight on his palm resting on his shoulder.

"When I saw you partying and doing all these…bad things, I was mad. I was angry at you. Yes, I admit I was hard on you for the couple of years but I just wanted to do what is best for you. Give you a great life, a better wife, and an admirable family the world will ever see and a country envied by all. I want to give you a destiny greater than mine and a king that the world will look up to someday. You will change the world someday, Arthur. You will change people's hearts and minds. You will put a greater meaning of the word, leadership. You will have a child that will be as great as you are. That would be the legacy I want for you."

Arthur remained silent, staring out of the window, hoping that the conversation would end. Very hair on his body stood up, listening to Uther's words. "You may not know Vivian, but you'll grow to love her just as I grow to love your mother. We also had an arrange marriage, but now, our love is strong. Trust me, Arthur, I know what's best of you." He raised Arthur's chin, their eyes met. "This is a father's love for a son."

Uther smoothed the creases from Arthur's shoulders and turned his heel toward the door. He He turned around, and said, "And Arthur, I hope you understand."

He was about to leave the room when Arthur stopped him. Uther waited for him to speak.

"I'll come with you."

 **III.**

Morgana Pendragon insisted to her father that she should join the breakfast with the royal family of Avalon. She tried to convince him that she was rather hungry and would like to accompany them there. It was a known fact for Uther that Morgana never insisted on joining the table. She rather have a breakfast in bed. Usually, it was him who was in the position begging her and even dragging her to the table since she was a little girl. But since yesterday, his daughter has been excited to join them. It was odd and out of the ordinary.

"Are you sure dear?" Uther asked worriedly to her daughter. "This has been the second time you've asked to join the table. Yesterday was necessary but this; I'm just having tea with Balinor to talk things about the future of our countries with your brother. It would be a rather dull affair."

"But father, I am an ambassador for humanitarian and environmental causes and I would like to learn from two wise men and a half," Morgana turned to Arthur who mockingly smiled at her. She continued, "What they think of the world. Besides, I'm in the mood for a talk about politics."

Uther started laughing. "Morgana, I never heard you were interested with politics. Do you have some kind of illness?"

Morgana glared at him for saying such an absurd remark. "Father, please. I thought mother would be bored and I could accompany her." She turned to Ygraine who was rather surprised she was mentioned. She smiled. "We could have a bit of a women's chit chat on the table while you men talk about…stuff."

Arthur came up behind her. "Well, father, the whole family for breakfast. If Morgana wants to go, she could." Arthur winked at her. He knew exactly why Morgana wanted to come and his younger sister blushed.

"If you wish. I won't ignore such a wonderful offer. We should go now." Uther smiled lovingly at her daughter and hugged her. "All those diet and calories are making my head ache watching you starve yourself to death."

Morgana laughed. "I know. Being vegetarian didn't really work out for me since I got tempted by your cooking."

Uther smiled. "I admit, proudest achievement of my life."

Arthur Pendragon walked along with his sister as they waited for the elevator to come up.

"So, Percival, huh?" Arthur whispered on her ear. Morgana glared at him and nudged him hard on his chest. Arthur grimaced in pain.

It was true Morgana really joined the breakfast for Percival. It was no secret to Arthur that Morgana has a crush on the crown prince. In fact, he found out about it all by himself. She was shocked about it but she convinced him with force not to tell anyone. Even her mother knew about it by just looking at her. She just hoped her father wouldn't find out about it. They arrived at the first floor of the hotel where the café was.

Albion Café has been one of the best restaurants in New York. It was supposed to be a restaurant for the guests seven years ago in the hotel, but because of its five star food quality, it became so popular that the owner of the hotel was forced to open it for the public. With great food, no wonder so many people visited the place. Uther loved the place. That's enough reason for the whole royal household to trust the restaurant with their food.

Balinor, Catrina and Percival were both sitting patiently at the private area of the café. The moment they arrived at the table, the three stood up to greet them with hugs and kisses. Percival took Morgana's hand and kissed it. Arthur saw her blood rushed to her cheeks.

"It's wonderful you get to join us this morning, your highness." Percival greeted her with a wide smile.

Morgana shyly returned the smile with hers. "Well, it's nice to see you too."

Percival pulled a chair away from the table and gestured for her to sit. Morgana gladly accepted the offer with a huge smile. Arthur laughed inside. The breakfast went well, or so Morgana thought. Percival sat next to her and it took her mind off of things by the time she started talking with him. It was mostly what they were going to do at the gala in the evening. About what charity they would sponsor and what they were going to wear. She could see Arthur smiling on the table and joining in on the conversations with Balinor and Uther. It was probably because Lady Vivian wasn't in the table. Catrina apologized that the lady got sick from last night's charity event. Arthur smirked when he heard the news. He was probably all happy inside that he didn't have to see the girl he would soon marry.

"Do you have a date for tonight?" Percival asked casually but his voice was a little bit shaky.

Morgana was surprised he asked the question. "I don't, unfortunately."

"Well, since your brother would be forced to go with Vivian, who I'm sure, they will. Maybe you and I could…" He trailed off.

"Go together?" Morgana finished the sentence for him but wasn't really sure if that was the other boy was asking. Percival flashed a bright smile that almost blinded her, and nodded. "Yes. Why not? A man like you certainly needs someone by his side." She chuckled nervously.

"A man like what?"

Morgana realized what she just said, and panic struck, and she tried to come up with words to say. "What I mean was that you certainly don't need someone beside you but a man like you looked like you could have someone beside you- because it would be nice- I mean it would be honorable- Um…this would be friendship. A friendship side and obviously not a date…" She stuttered.

"Hold on," Percival stopped her. "It's fine. I'll be waiting for you to arrive in the gala tonight."

Morgana smiled awkwardly at him and turned around to sip on her tea in shame. She glanced at Arthur beside her who was laughing silently. She kicked his foot and the boy jumped from his seat spilling his cup of tea to his brand new pants. The whole table looked at him in confusion.

"Uh…my tea was hot." _He grumbled and walked off to the restroom._

The whole table returned to their conversation about politics and gossip, oblivious to what just happened.

 **IV.**

 _Arcadia Apartments,_

 _Royal Family of Avalon residence._

The limousine parked right in front of a high class building. Merlin has been closing his eyes trying not to look outside whether some people were looking at the vehicle he was riding at. Fortunately, the windows were tinted and it calmed him down a bit, but someone might recognize him if they looked close enough. Everyone in New York knew that with the flag in front, it would be a state car with probably an important person inside. It could be a president from another country, or an ambassador or a high school teenager who just found out how fucked up his life was. He cringed at the thought that the next time he'd be riding in one of these, he'd be waving at the crowd.

Elyan came out from the front door and opened the passenger door for him. The doorman was curious as to who the person inside was and moved forward. He saw a raven haired boy got out of the car. A man in a trench coat escorted him toward the door.

"May I help you, sir?" The doorman asked politely but his eyes trained on the boy in front of him with curiosity.

"A guest of the royal family." Elyan smiled at him. Merlin looked back and found Barabbas driving off to park the vehicle somewhere.

"Well, of course." The doorman stepped aside, letting them in. Merlin smiled to him.

The moment they entered the building, Merlin was struck with amazement. It looked like a mansion. Then he realized it was just the lobby. He couldn't wait to see the units. Elyan waved at another bodyguard in the area sitting at the corner reading a newspaper.

"This is where they live?" Merlin asked, shocked. He knew this place. Arcadia Apartments were one of the most expensive homes in the whole island of Manhattan. He didn't expect a King would live in one. He expected them to be in a high class hotel.

Elyan nodded at him. He pressed the button on the elevator and they waited for it to go down. A few seconds later, the elevator doors opened. The two went inside.

"What floor are they on?" Merlin asked, ready to press one of the numbers from the side.

Elyan asked him to step aside and Merlin stood at a corner. He pulled a necklace off from under his shirt; a key was dangling from the bottom. He inserted the key on an enclosed button and opened a tiny metal door which revealed another button on the panel. He pressed the button and the elevator doors closed.

"Awesome. That's some James Bond shit." Merlin paused. "Pardon my French."

Elyan laughed. "It's for security reasons." He pointed at the cover. "It requires a key to open it. It's been requested that no one can come up to the top floor of the building."

"Top floor? The penthouse?" Merlin gaped at him.

"Well, there was no cover for the top floor button before so we added it the moment we bought the unit."

It was in fact a royal house and the royal family was currently staying in it so it all made sense. Celebrities, Royals, politicians and some other famous people and moguls were all paranoid about being home invaded. Actually, concealing the top floor button was actually a smart idea. Merlin found a camera inside the elevator at a corner and he thought to himself that if someone did break into the metal locked door, the security of the place would probably locked him or her inside. It was a nice touch. After a minute of climbing the building, the elevator door opened slowly to reveal a dirty blonde woman, her hair braided to one side, standing in front of him. Elyan and Merlin both got out of the elevator. Merlin found himself standing on a stunning and shiny marbled floor that almost blinded him once he looked at it. To his side was a grand staircase and the walls were full of paintings, portraits and art. He was amazed at how huge the house was. A unit built for luxury and class.

The woman extended her arm toward him and Merlin stared at her in confusion, not knowing what she was doing. Then he realized she was introducing herself.

"My name's Isolde. I'm the head security of the household" She said coolly.

"Oh, my name's Merlin." Merlin took her hand and shook it. "Nice place."

"Well, Merlin, the king hasn't been expecting you to come. We thought you wouldn't." She said sincerely. "But, I'm afraid the King is not here at the moment. He's at breakfast with the Queen and with the British Royal Family." Merlin's face dropped to disappointment. He was ready to barge in and speak his mind and say that he wouldn't be accepting the crown and his title and later convincing and giving a reason why not. Unfortunately, the person he was trying to convince was not here.

"Perhaps, you could wait? It's past eleven. I think they should be back any moment now." Isolde informed him as she started leading him into a giant living room, a grand piano waiting to be played at a corner beside the fireplace.

Merlin didn't like waiting. He should have thought of a speech and wrote it. Now, he was nervous and his palms were sweating. Just like the freshman mock debate debacle where he was waiting for his turn and it totally made him want to shit his pants. He felt like waiting for his execution. He knew it'd end badly by the end of the day.

Isolde went to Elyan's side and whispered on his ear. Merlin couldn't make out any of the words even though the room was completely silent. Then, the man left the room and went to the elevator.

"We'll send someone to attend you." Isolde bowed her head a little and started heading out of the room. Merlin was about to protest. He didn't like being fuzzed up by a maid but it was too late. The woman already left the room.

 **~~~oOo~~~**

"Gwen, may I talk to you?"

Isolde entered the kitchen and found Guinevere busily running around the area trying to cook a meal for Lady Vivian. The woman had been screaming at the top of her lungs throughout the house ordering all the maids to do what she asked. She'd been telling them tonight was supposed to be the greatest moment of her life and she wanted it to be that way the moment she entered the grand halls. Guinevere was a bit tempted to throw the stiletto shoes that Vivian insisted she wore to the dance on her face. But, another maid reminded her what her job was.

She paused on her tracks and took a deep breath. "What is it?" She asked as if she was not busy at all.

"Let Mary attend on Vivian for now. I want you to attend on someone else." Isolde told her.

"But Lady Vivian…" She protested when Isolde cut her off.

"This is more important than Lady Vivian. Mary will take care of it." Isolde turned to another woman stirring a cup of tea on a table. She nodded to Gwen.

"Okay, what do you want me to do?"

"Just bring a small meal, probably a piece of pie or bread. And a cup of tea would be nice."

"And who am I attending to?" Gwen asked curiously.

Isolde thought for a moment. It wasn't known to the whole royal household that the King has another son. Only those close to the King and the royal family knew and some other guards. Rumors had been spreading out throughout the castle about a particular American boy that has close ties with the royal family and that his name was Merlin although they didn't know what he was to the family. No one had seen or knew what he looked like. It was a guarded secret and the government knew it was of outmost importance for security.

"An important guest to the royal family. I don't want anyone to enter the living room area except Gwen. No one should look at the guest or even see him. Am I understood?" Isolde glared at the maids with fierce.

They all nodded but were confused. They returned back to what they were doing before. Isolde pulled Gwen to a corner.

"Listen to me Gwen, and this is an order, don't ever ask questions and you may never speak to him. You can ask him if he needed anything else but never strike a conversation. Just do what you do. Don't talk to the other maids if they ask who it was." She paused. "He'll probably introduce himself to you and say his name. Don't tell the other maids about it." Isolde looked at her in worry. In fact she's worry the girl would spread the rumor was true. An American boy named Merlin was close to the royal family. But she's known her for two years now. She knew she has a good heart.

"What's the fuss about his name?"

"Doesn't matter. And Gwen, respect him like a prince."

Gwen nodded in agreement. Right after Isolde left the room; all the servants' eyes in the room were all trained on her as she set up a meal for the guest and left the room once it was all done. It was the most awkward moment of her life. Suddenly, she could hear the piano playing from the living room and as she entered, a man was sitting on the piano seat hitting the right keys of a song she was familiar with. It was the Barney song.

 **V.**

Merlin waited for almost fifteen minutes on the sofa dying in boredom. His butt was aching to get up so he decided to pace around the room looking around the area and found a medium sized statue from a corner. It was an angel with her arms spread wide. It looked like she was being levitated toward heaven. He looked at it for a couple of minutes trying to discern what the sculpture tried to present. It looked like just a lady with wings. _And why does it have to be naked? Is nudity so important?_

Merlin walked toward the grand piano and lifted up the cover. He played on a few notes and scales. It sounded like a cat was dying. He looked around the room if someone was with him but found it empty. He was free to embarrass himself. Merlin was no piano player. He only knew one song and it was the Barney song he learned during fifth grade. Actually, it was Will who taught it to him. He pulled the piano seat and sat on it comfortably. His fingers lingered at the top of the keys and after taking a deep breath, like he was playing for a concert, started pressing on them. Music filled the room. Well, it actually sounded like a four year old was playing the piano but Merlin fancied to himself he was a _gifted_ pianist.

Suddenly, Merlin heard someone behind him, knocking him out of his thoughts and he quickly got up from his seat and turned around to find a woman placing a tray of food on the coffee table.

"Oh no! Sorry if I disturb you…I'm just here to give you food, sir!" She said, startled and not looking at him on the eye.

"It's okay." Merlin moved away from the piano and shuffled toward her. "Thank you but I'm not really hungry."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I should take this back then." Gwen hurriedly picked up the tray when Merlin stopped her. Her head remained bowed down.

"Oh no! Just let it sit here. I might get hungry later. I think I'll be waiting for the king longer than I expected." He grabbed the tray from her hands and put it down the coffee table. He extended a hand to her. Gwen looked up and met his eyes. "By the way, my name's Mer…"

A screech echoed from the top of the stairs. It was a woman's voice. They suddenly heard heavy footsteps coming down the grand staircase and moving toward the living room. A blonde haired woman emerged from a corner.

"Who was that playing? Can't you hear I'm busy and needs a time of silence upstairs? It's Sunday and I need to pray!" She screamed at the two people in front of her. "And Gwen, I've waited for a long time now. Where's my food?" She pointed at the woman beside him.

"Lady Vivian, I'm sorry. Mary was supposed to be the one delivering it to you," She explained.

"I asked for you! Why are you giving it to Mary? She can't even cook to save her life!" Vivian fumed.

"I was just here to attend to," She pointed at the boy beside her.

"And who are you?" She glared at him, cutting off Gwen.

Merlin put on a big smile brighter than the sun and extended his hand. "Hi. My name's Mer…" He stopped when he realized the woman was eyeing him with disgust. She noticed her looking at him from head to toe and rolled her eyes.

"Are you the new help? Because someone really needs to clean my room right now," She took another moment to stare at him again. "By the way, do you know we're out of the 90's already?" She said sarcastically implying at his clothes. A smug look crossed her face as she chuckled.

Merlin mentally rolled his eyes. _I was going for simple! Not high end!_ He eyed her clothes too. A layered silk chiffon yellow dress that Merlin admitted looked good on her but it must've been expensive from the look of it. _I bet you can feed a hundred malnourished children from what you're wearing, bitch._ Well, at least she went for spring spirit with the yellow color.

"You can come up upstairs and put my shoes back in the closet. I've been trying to find an accessory that would match the dress I'm about to wear tonight." She ordered Merlin.

"Actually your highness, he is a -". Merlin interrupted Gwen as she was about to tell her who he was.

"I'll do it right away." Merlin flashed a fake smile at her and bowed his head to her direction mockingly. "Your highness."

Gwen looked at Merlin in confusion and shock not knowing what to do. "It's okay Gwen. I can handle it." He reassured her.

It was ridiculous to Merlin's ears that the blonde girl in front of her didn't know how to clean a room. He totally forgot for a second that she was of royalty and that explained things a lot. Most of all, she's mean and rude. Since he didn't want to be stuck in the living room again waiting for them to arrive for how long, helping her won't kill him. She might be nice later on. But there's also a possibility she may not.

"Good. I don't like to be kept waiting!" She tapped Merlin on the shoulder and shooed him away. She turned to Gwen's attention. "And you. Bring me my meal now!" She roared.

Gwen shuffled away like a frightened hyena not knowing whether she should still tell Vivian about the true identity of the person in front of her. She saw Merlin smiled at her and nodding at her that it's okay made her turn around and never looked back. She did follow Isolde's orders to follow whatever the guest asked and this was the guest's order.

"Second door to the left." Vivian instructed.

Merlin slowly ascended the stairs. He glanced back to see the blonde haired girl vanished from a corner probably going somewhere else. "The door to the left. Second one." Merlin muttered to himself. He walked down the hallway and found the open door which he believed to be the woman's room. He checked the hallway if it was empty and entered inside.

It was a huge room with a queen sized bed at the middle side. Two huge windows overlooked the city skyline and a custom-made hand tufted wool carpets spread on the floor, a crystal chandelier on the ceiling and a plasma TV on the wall. But Merlin's eyes caught the huge walked in closet that was full of gowns, dresses and clothes. Too bad it was all for girls. The room was beautiful and huge. It was almost perfect for a princess too. The only thing that wasn't really organized were a dozen shoes littered throughout the floor and a half a dozen gowns and dresses, scarves and bags ranging from _Jimmy Choo_ to _Manolo Blahnik_ , lying on the bed. Merlin was impressed. He walked straight to the bed and picked up the bags and put them back in the closet.

"Too bad though. You get to be carried by a doozer. Such a shame." He stared at the other bags on the shelves. "Oh, you guys are beautiful." Merlin talked to the objects as he continued to put them on the shelves. "Don't tempt me to free you." He pointed at the velvet Gucci bag he placed at the very top of the shelf.

He walked out of the closet again and picked up the shoes littered across the floor and put them back in the closet. As he was about to pick up the last piece of shoe under the bed, his eyes caught a particular jewelry sitting at the study desk. It was a glimmering necklace that Merlin undoubtedly thought was made of pure diamond. He picked it up surveying it. He put it around his neck just to try it out and he laughed at himself when he saw his own reflection with it on the mirror. He put it back on top of the desk where he found it.

"Well, you're taste is definitely not bad." He froze. Someone spoke behind him and it definitely didn't come from the rude blonde haired girl because it sounded like a man. "But just to let you know, it's for the ladies." He heard him chuckled.

Merlin turned around to find Percival standing on the doorway staring at him and smiling. "Did Vivian order you to clean her room?" Percival asked, amused.

"Yeah. She did."

"She didn't recognize who you are. Did she?"

"I guess not." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, she's in for a surprise." Percival laughed. "That witch has it coming." Merlin laughed at what he just heard. Clearly, the prince has a grudge on the girl from the tone of resentment on his voice. Percival put his finger on his own lips shushing him.

"That would be our little secret."

"What she doesn't know won't kill her."

Percival started heading for the door when he stopped from his tracks and turned around. "Aren't you coming? Father is waiting downstairs. I reckoned you want to talk to him. I mean, to us."

Merlin completely forgot his purpose of coming there. He was supposed to tell them he didn't want to be a prince. The smile on his face faded away instantly. "Yes. That's what I'm here for. I have something to say."

 **~~~oOo~~~**

It was an awkward and painful couple of minutes for Merlin to sit there in the living room staring at four faces in front of him. It seemed he couldn't pull his eyes away from the man at the center sitting across from him. Of course, it was his father. He didn't really saw him that way in his mind although he can't help it but realized he awfully resembled him. He has the same dark hair, the same complexion, even the same Greek nose and light blue eyes. It definitely felt like death was coming to get him.

They had been sitting there staring at each other in silence for a few minutes and no one dared to speak. Although a while ago, Vivian's cry of shock and apologies made Merlin trying to hide a snicker and a laugh as the woman desperately seek his forgiveness for mistaking him for a servant. Percival on the other hand, didn't even try to hide it and just laughed his ass off. Of course he did forgive her although he didn't want to and the girl suddenly was all nice to him. She even complimented him on his outfit that she bashed a while ago. The girl was all smiles sitting across from him beside her mother, Queen Catrina, who Merlin couldn't help but notice was glowering at him. He tried to avoid her menacing glare but the people around the room haven't noticed that.

"I'm glad you are here with us, brother." Percival broke the silence. "And it's nice you decided to come here." He nervously laughed and looked around the room for another person to speak up.

"We never expected you to come here, Merlin. We thought you don't want to see us according to Elyan's report about you." Catrina flashed a fake smile at him as she eyed him from head to toe. Merlin shifted uncomfortably on his seat a bit.

"Oh. You told me you wanted to tell us something?" Percival remembered.

All of a sudden, Merlin's mind was completely drained empty. _Welp, there goes my skills for improvisation!_ His tongue held back in his throat and it seemed no words will ever escape his gaping mouth. He looked around as the people in the room turned their attention to him, especially Isolde from the corner, as they waited for him to speak.

"Right. I was here to…tell you about bout me being…of royalty."

"You are born out of wedlock my dear. Technically you are not a royalty." _Catrina pointed out, sipping on her cup of tea. Merlin frowned and lowered his head. With her eyes, the woman shot daggers where he sat._

"He is my son." Balinor said without looking at her. Merlin looked up, and it felt like the air in the room was sucked out of the window. Everyone held their breath.

"Of course. Of course." She caressed smooth circles at Balinor's back. "I understand that."

"So you know why I'm here then." Merlin looked at him right on the eyes. He took a deep breath to say the next words. "I don't want to be a prince."

He heard a strong gasp right beside him which only came from Percival, He saw Catrina's lips twitched upward for a second, trying to hide a smile but acting like she was shocked and Vivian seemed genuinely confused but Balinor was expressionless. His eyes trained at Merlin.

"But Merlin, you are born of royal blood." Percival argued. "This is not a thing you can simply walk away from."

"But if that's what the boy decides, then maybe we should respect it." Catrina said smiling. "Am I right?"

Percival glared at her. "He is my brother. Look, being a royal is not that bad. I can teach you a lot of things and it would be easy. I mean, royalty can be a force for good. You can help people and other stuff. Maybe you and I can rule the kingdom! As brothers!"

 _Good point._ Merlin thought. _But you are born and trained for it. I only knew for three days._ He decided not to speak.

"It's still him who decides what he wants, Percy." Catrina said.

Percival ignored her. "Look, obviously you haven't given this life a try so it would be unfair for you to judge if this life was bad for you. I mean, father and I thought of a plan."

"It's not that! I mean, people and followers and cameras flashing," Merlin was confused and didn't know what to say. His words were all juggling inside his brain and he didn't know which one to pick. It's like a Bingo game. "I can't handle public pressure. Even mock debates scared the shit out of me!"

"Language!" Catrina cried.

"Sorry! But, I mean, I know royalty can be a good thing. But I am not that man. I am not that person at all. I can't lead. I'm awkward. I don't deal with people's problems really well and this, this, is all confusing for me."

"We could teach you to ignore them." Percival suggested.

Merlin thought for a moment but shook it off a second later. "No."

"Oh come on! You have the Emrys blood. You are born to rule!" Percival said encouraging him and playfully hit him on the shoulder. Merlin heard Catrina's 'oh, please' but he ignored her. "You're my little brother, and I won't let anything hurt you."

Resorting to plan B, Merlin decided to reveal it all. He's becoming desperate on convincing them. "I'm gay! Okay? I'm gay and proud of it." a shock and surprised expression crossed Vivian and Catrina's face as they gasped and gaped at him. It turned to disgust a second later. He continued, "I like men! Love them, in fact. So, I can't be a prince. It would be scandalous! The media would kill me! I mean, throw me away! It's fine by me. I mean, turn your back away from me. Disown me! I don't care!" He pleaded. "So you see, me being a prince would not really work. You know, because I hate sleeping with women so I can't have children. Heirs. Get it?" He waved his hand around like he's trying to make him understand.

Silence fell into the room.

"You…are…a homosexual?" Catrina said slowly while glaring and judging him. "God." She sighed.

Merlin glared back. "I could carry a rainbow flag if that would make you understand." he shot back, which surprised her that he talked back at her. "And God flashed Noah a rainbow. Guess God likes gays too."

Percival snickered and smiled although he tried to hide it by covering his mouth. Then, suddenly, a burst of laughter came from the center of the room. It came from the King.

"Merlin, we knew." Balinor admitted still laughing. "We knew you're gay." Balinor repeated himself as he stood and walked toward him. "For a long a time and we don't care. Do you know we are the first country to legalize gay marriage? Avalon society is more…accepting than others. That's why some group from other countries hates us. The conservative ones."

"Wait. How do you know that?"

"Your Facebook status. You set it up as interested in men."

 _Oh_. Merlin mentally stomped his feet. He was embarrassed again. "Please, I know you wanted me to be part of this. But I just can't see myself sitting on a thousand year old wooden chair."

He heard Catrina gasp behind Balinor. "It's a throne passed for many generations!" She corrected him.

Balinor ignored her. "Merlin, maybe I can set a proposal."

"What kind of proposal?"

"The media doesn't know about you, which gave you a big advantage. But before you chose to close the door of your royal side, I want you to experience it before you judge."

Merlin thought of it for a moment. "You mean, you wanted me to…act as a prince? But the public,"

"The public doesn't know about it. As long as they don't know your true identity, you are free to choose which one you like as a prince or the normal one."

"What if they knew?"

"Then, you have no choice but to accept the throne whether you like it or not. Even though you chose not to, the media will still follow you around mercilessly for months, hell, even throughout the years. Your peers might treat you differently, and other crazy things might arise because of that. It would be hell." Balinor saw Merlin's eyes widened. "But we won't let that happen."

"Okay, rewind!" Merlin raised both of his palms in front of Balinor. Everything stopped. "If people outside doesn't know who I am, I am free to live, no, _experience_ , both things. I could be a prince and me." Balinor and Percival nodded.

"Oh this is ridiculous." Catrina exclaimed.

"And if they don't know. I can choose." They nodded again. "And if they do, I'm basically fucked up." They nodded in unison.

Catrina glared at him. "Language!"

"So what are you really proposing?" Merlin asked, crossing his arms.

"Six months. _Six months_ , then you choose. You can live normally as I want for you, or you can join me and rule a country." Balinor offered, smiling at him.

"Six months?"

"That's all. Six months then you decide."

It was a good proposal but the six months deal seemed a bit long. He has to go to school, to normal life. He still has to graduate junior year. Six months would mean sacrificing his time till October living a double life, a _double identity_. He did agree it was unfair for him to judge a life he has never experienced firsthand. Maybe he should at least try it. His mind has been debating whether to accept it or not but he seriously didn't want to. He wanted to throw the deal away.

"What happened in those six months?" Merlin asked.

Balinor smiled and said, "Well, we could show you around on how we do things. Royal duties and state events. You are free to donate to a cause and perform what a royal does but behind public spotlight. Maybe even attend balls, charities and galas. In fact, there's one tonight." Catrina started to protest but he ignored her. "It would be a start."

 _Well, that's too soon._ Merlin thought about it imagining himself ordering people. A flicker of light lit up inside his brain. The things he could do in this position. Do things no man has ever done before. He could change things, too. Maybe pass a law. The royal money could be donated to a charity! It would be fun. But the back of his mind desperately wanted him to turn back and tried to convince him this would be a very bad idea.

"As long as the media doesn't know…" Merlin started.

"They won't. Only a few knew your identity. I will make sure it won't get out." Balinor reassured him. Balinor snapped his fingers and Isolde approached him. He whispered on her ear. The lady bowed her head in understanding and walked out of the room. "What do you say, _son_?"

Merlin looked up to him and met him right on his brown eyes. The word pierced right through him. A part of him wanted to spend time with this man and get to know him better. A man who has been absent all these past years. This would be his chance.

Merlin steadied himself a bit. "Fine. I'll do it. Six months is not that long."

A smile crept on Balinor's face. Isolde entered the room and handed Balinor a small envelope and the king handed it to Merlin.

"It's an invitation for the gala tonight. I know it's too soon but, I hope you could attend." Merlin slowly accepted the envelope. "We will bring you a suit for the event if you wanted to come."

Catrina was fuming behind them. She didn't want the boy to attend the event. "What will we say once everyone are asking who he is?" She asked.

"Well," Balinor paused. "We'll tell them he is Percival's distant cousin. A distant relative. Might give you minor attention but, son, you are going to be in the greatest event the whole world have ever seen, surrounded by great and important people who would hog the spotlight. Not all of the cameras will be trained at you."

 _That could work_ , Merlin thought. Percival nodded his head in agreement.

"I sent an invitation to your mother too if she wanted to attend." Balinor informed him which made Catrina glared in shock for a second before faking a smile.

Merlin looked at the small envelope on his grasp. He did agree to at least try what royals do. In fact, it might be fun to attend the gala. He never attended one and this would be a good experience for him. It was a private event since there were a lot of famous people attending which only meant fewer cameras. The photographers would be clustered outside the building. No pictures of him going public since he was a nobody. No schoolmates of his would ever recognize him. Speaking of royals and celebrities, he got to mingle with politicians and other famous figures as well! It would be fun. He could finally meet that Prince Arthur that everyone went crazy for. Maggie would be so jealous. He later shook the idea off of telling her because that would mean explaining everything.

He decided to trust his gut. Damn the consequences.

"Okay. I'll go."


	12. Little Gold Ring

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

LITTLE GOLD RING

 **I.**

Balinor's eyes glimmered with happiness. He smiled at Merlin surprised and a bit happy by his response but it was Percival who was more excited he was attending. "Great! It would be...oh how you Americans put it…" He thought for a second, then continued, "Oh! Awesome!" Percival said enthusiastically putting both of his hands up in the air and landed on Merlin's shoulders.

It was Catrina who wasn't happy and was not looking forward to Merlin coming to the gala. She was more concerned what the others might do. She didn't really want the media knowing about him but she was worried the people might suspect and find the truth. She knew people from magazines would be there. Then, she'll end up with another Emrys in the house. She hoped Nimueh was by her side because she knew exactly what to do. Then, she realized there were more people for the cameras to ogle at so she Merlin might be safe. She hoped. She also didn't want him entering the palace and be a prince who preferred…men. That would be scandalous for the royal family and it would earn them a lot of scrutiny. She imagined what her conservative friends might say back home if they found out.

Vivian on the other hand, was all smiles. Catrina elbowed her on the shoulder earning a surprise look from the other girl. The others haven't noticed. "What was that for?" Vivian grimaced, massaging her shoulder where Catrina hit her.

"What are you smiling at?"

"I'm smiling that he's coming, mother. Ain't that obvious?" Vivian rolled her eyes and she started heading toward Merlin. Catrina tried to stop her but was too late. "Merlin, I'm glad you can come with us. It would be fun." She grinned brightly.

Merlin answered, "Thank you." Albeit, Catrina found it soft.

"So who's your date?" Vivian asked.

"Date?"

"Oh I forgot to tell you. People in these events usually bring in a date though it's optional. But if you bring one, the invitation has another ticket there." Balinor informed him.

"Yes. They do. Although some of the people who didn't bring one usually ended up in a corner."

Merlin couldn't think of anyone to bring in as a date. He definitely couldn't ask Maggie or Freya since they would certainly ask why he was in the event, which would reveal his royal identity. Plus, Freya went to Colorado for a relative's wedding so she's going to be gone for a couple of days. Maggie would be busy with the Prom committee since she's battling it with Sophia and he knew how those two usually butt heads in a global scale. He knew his mother might not come because she specifically stated last night that it was not her scene. Asking her now would be a waste of time.

It only led to one person and that would be none other than Will. Merlin wasn't really sure if a guy could bring another guy as a date to the event. And Will was his best friend so it's all cool and hopefully he could think of something Will owed him so that he'll blackmail him with it. People didn't know who he was so he could bring a date whether it's a gorilla or a chupacabra or something else and no one would notice. He was invisible behind the royalties in the grand hall. Although, it would take a lot of convincing to let Will join in. He's the only person who knew who he was anyway. He didn't want Vivian, who out of the blue started acting they're the best of friends in the whole wide world, to look at him and feel sorry he wasn't bringing anyone.

"I might bring someone." Merlin replied, flashing a grin.

"Great. I'd love to meet that person!" Percival threw his arm around his shoulders. "So, who's the lucky guy?"

"I know you might bring a guy to the party but…oh, never mind." She smiled coyly as she looked around trying to find if anyone has caught on what she's going to say. Everyone did.

"Don't worry. I'm not bringing a guy." He was so bringing Will.

"Oh, good." Vivian chuckled then stopped. "God has other ways, you know." She rested her palms on Merlin's shoulders like she was praying for his soul. Merlin thought she was just joking but the look on her eyes convinced him she was crazy. _Oh good, I got a blonde hallelujah prophet I get to call family!_

"Okay, great! Yay…God." Merlin mumbled.

"Can I speak to Merlin in private?" Balinor asked suddenly. He followed, "It won't take a while."

Everyone looked at each other for a moment, and a second later, they nodded their heads in unison. "Yes, father." Percival bowed his head and walked out of the room. Vivian trailed behind him. Catrina was the last one left in the room staring at the two contemplating whether to protest to stay or leave and follow the King's order. She smiled to both of them and bowed her head lightly and left the room. "I'll be at the hall of mirrors, love." She said before shuffling out the door. Silence found the room once again. Balinor walked his way back to the couch and sat at the middle, propping his palm beneath his chin, like the thinker man statue.

"Would you like some cup of tea? Maybe coffee or orange juice?"

"The juice would be nice. I'm a little bit thirsty."

Balinor poured a glass of orange juice and gave it to him. He accepted the offer with a smile and took a sip of the drink. He said, "No doubt you had a lot of questions. And I guessed you already talked to your mother about our past?"

"Yes, she did."

"What did she tell you?"

Merlin sat on the couch opposite of him. "How she met you. How you asked her out and the times you guys spend together. And the day you kicked her out of the country for something she hasn't even done…even without proof."

Balinor looked down on his own drink. "Never a day comes I regretted that moment. I should have stopped her. Let her explain. Maybe even thought that it was all a lie. But, it was an error of youth. I didn't know what to do."

"Then what happened? You didn't even run after her when youfound out."

Balinor could feel his intense gaze. It was seething and venomous. His son thought he was a bad man. He knew it was bound to happen to leave him without any explanation or closure to his son on why he and Hunith had to do it. Maybe that time was right now. "I did chase after her."

"Years after." Merlin muttered.

He heard it but he continued, "But I was too late. I found out she recently married someone." Balinor put down his tea on the coffee table. The tone in his voice was dreary. "And adopted you."

Merlin stared at him momentarily if what he said was true. His mother never mentioned him running after her. But there was sadness in his eyes the moment their eyes met. It was the truth.

"So, she moved on. I thought I should as well. So, I accepted my father's proposal, even the arranged marriage. I married Catrina like what my father wanted from the start. I accepted Vivian like my own daughter. I grew to become fond of her, like how Hunith grew fond of George."

"It wasn't an arranged marriage though. They're in love."

Balinor's eyes softened and he looked out of the window. "Yes. They are." He glanced at the door shut tight. "Look, if I'm honest, I cared for Hunith, I really do. There's no question of the love I gave her. But,"

"You don't feel the same way with her." Merlin pointed out the other woman behind the door.

"I've grown fond of her, but not as close as to where Hunith was in here." Balinor pointed at the spot on his chest, where his heart was. "We do what we do for the duty of our kingdom. It is in our blood. The Emrys blood runs deep within your veins just as it did with mine. I thought about taking you away from her, from whisking you back to Avalon, but I couldn't. You were only four or five the first time I saw you."

"You saw me? I didn't know we've met before, or else I would have recognized you."

"No, I was near but far. Out of sight but within arm's reach. I saw you were happy, Merlin, and that I couldn't take away from you. I realized that people like me didn't have a normal childhood like you do. It is something that connects you with the people and truly makes you a good leader, if you so choose."

"You really believe that? What makes you think that I would like to get back to the life that ruined my mother?"

Balinor sighed. "People have agendas, even my father. But my father is dead, and I have responsibilities now to enforce my kingdom out of petty intrigues. I am king now. You will be safe. I give you my word."

"The queen doesn't seem too happy about me being here. I mean, I understand why. I am the son of another woman after all."

"Catrina can be a handful but she's a good woman. She's been through a lot in life. Once you get to know her you'll understand."

Silence seeped into the walls. Merlin wanted to get out of the room and get back home, maybe sleep a little and calm his nerves down, but a small part of him wanted to stay. Balinor continued staring at him, and Merlin didn't dare shift his position, and the cup on his hand became more interesting than trying to steer their conversation away.

"She told me you are not going to be a royal, your mother. It was her deal the first time I saw you." Balinor started, "I accepted that request. But obviously, Percival didn't like that." He chuckled as he took another sip of his tea. "So we kept tabs on you. We tried to conceal your true identity, your blood. We gave you money for college. I did everything to make your life better even if that means you not knowing who I am. Hunith didn't want me to see you and I respected that decision."

Merlin fell silent. His defiant stance against his father has turned rather cold and uncomfortable. He couldn't look at him on the eye. He felt guilty accusing him of cowardice and not running after him or why he thought he abandoned him or didn't even cared about him when all along he did. Or was he just saying this?

"That was the deal we both made for you. I admit I am mad at Percy for telling you about it. I know he's still young. That wasn't my intention and I'm sorry for offering you this choice. I know this is hard for you." Balinor calmly got up from his seat and moved toward him. Merlin shifted from his seat as Balinor knelt in front of him, his brown eyes full of apologies as he stared at him. "I want you to have a normal life far away from _this_. But now that you know who you are, maybe it is time to see what life could have been with me."

He delved into his right pocket and pulled out a rather small round object. Merlin realized it was a ring. Balinor gently grabbed Merlin's hand and opened his palm and he put the object in his grasp. "I want to give you this."

Merlin looked at the gold ring curiously on his hand. He noticed the crest, an elephant symbol on it with an intricate rug on its back. "What is this?" He asked.

"That is our family ring given to the heirs of the throne for many, many generations. When Hunith got pregnant I made that myself for you so that when you turn seventeen that is my present for you. Everyone in the family wears one made by their father or inherited from it. Since you're going to be a royal for six months, I think it would be appropriate for you to wear one."

"An heir?" Merlin still felt uncomfortable saying it. "But you and mom did not get married. I am not an heir."

"Even if we didn't, after six months, when you choose to be a prince, I will legitimize you under Avalon law. But between us, that's a formality because you will always be my son, legitimization be damned. In fact, that will make you the second in line to the throne, if ever something happens to your brother."

Merlin gaped and almost tipped his cup over the rather expensive looking carpet but Balinor caught him. "Next in line?" He felt the room slowly come crashing down, suffocating, hissing. He tried to get up but Balinor caught him by the arm.

"Hey, hey, don't worry, my son, nothing will happen to Percival. I know all of this can be daunting."

"Daunting's such a soft word for what I'm feeling."

"I know and I've been in your shoes. But, hopefully, this will remind you your responsibilities." He pointed at the ring on his palm. "Go on. Put it on."

Merlin hesitated for a moment. He tried to decide whether he deserved to put this ring on after he just accused his father of something horrible. That and he was really set on rejecting the throne when this was all over. After a while, he slipped the gold ring on his ring finger but it was a bit loose. He transferred and put it on his middle finger and it fitted perfectly.

"What's with the elephant?" He stared again at the crest.

"That is our family crest pertaining to one of Avalon's most famous epics." Balinor raised his hand and showed his own ring. "A saga we called _Elephant Royale_. History books dated it thousands of years ago from the beginnings of our kingdom."

"I promise I won't lose this. It will return to you like you've seen it six months later."

"No need, my son. That is yours to keep." Balinor assured him. "You're family and a son to me."

 **II.**

The doors to the sitting room opened softly and the two royals walked out of there smiling at each other and seemed to be getting along. Catrina swiftly walked toward the two and flashed her biggest smile and sidled her way beside her husband, kissing him on the cheek.

"So, how was it?"

"Well, for beginners, we're getting along. I'm just showing him our family hospitality." Balinor turned his head to Merlin patted him at the back. "A welcome home."

Catrina regretted it later looking down on the floor. Because if she hasn't, she wouldn't notice the big shiny thing wrapped around one of Merlin's fingers, and she wouldn't have an almost major heart attack when she later realized that it was an Emrys family ring. But she did looked down and saw the fucking thing. And she didn't only have a heart attack, her eyes widened in shock and she opened her mouth like she was going to swallow the boy whole, was about to howl but only a maniac laugh came out of her mouth. Everyone in the room froze as her high pitched laughter echoed throughout the hall and it might have entered into the maid's chambers. Everyone was confused. They thought something's wrong with her head.

"Catrina, are you alright?" Balinor asked, concerned.

Catrina shuts her mouth and smiled forcibly, nodding her head like a bobble head. "I am fine, more than fine! I am just so excited that Merlin is part of the family!" She extended her hand and pinched Merlin's cheek until it turned red. "I am so happy for you, my love." She kissed Balinor on the lips. Deep inside she wanted to bash the kid to death because he's now wearing the ring that many years ago she has worked hard to get and put on her damn finger. The boy just got it in three days. This was madness.

"Yes! I'm so happy! Merlin now has the ring you've kept for him these many years!" She said enthusiastically while at the same time glared at the boy throwing daggers at him. She even imagined pulling all of his hair off. She lightly clapped. "Welcome to the family!"

Catrina opened her arms and moved closer to him. Merlin shifted and panicked as the approaching woman grabbed him into a tight hug. Merlin hugged back and tried to wiggle out of her breasts. Merlin couldn't breathe the moment her arms wrapped around him. It became tighter second by second. A part of him was really telling him the woman was trying to break his bones and lungs, or even kill him. A moment later, the woman unwrapped her arms around his and kissed him on the cheek.

"You are Balinor's son, and I will treat you like my own son as well." She remarked. Balinor was happy to see the two getting along.

Merlin was utterly confused. A while ago, the queen was totally antagonistic the moment they met in the sitting room and now she has welcomed him with a killer hug and huge smile that supposed to be genuine but turned intimidating. She was all moody and catty, and now she's full of smiles, like how Vivian changed her attitude when she found out who he was. _Well, like mother like daughter I guess,_ Merlin thought.

"Well, thank you." Merlin said politely and even flashed a smile. Percival on the other hand, was trying to hold his laughter behind them.

The awkward moment seeped into silence. Everyone was staring at each other smiling creepily and awkwardly bobbing their heads up and down. Percival decided it's time to speak.

"Well, Merlin has to get along. He needed a suit for the event tonight. And I guess he wanted to go home and rest."

Merlin looked at him and confusion and a second later, he realized the man was giving him an excuse. "Oh yes! Exactly. I have a lot to do at home. I have to help my mother in the flower shop."

"Oh, Hunith still does those things…" Catrina commented under her breath. Merlin heard her clearly.

"Yes. Dirt is fun! So I better go." He turned to Balinor. "I…I…" Merlin lost his train of thought. No words came out of his mouth and he panicked. Suddenly, Balinor interrupted him.

"I appreciate you not walking out of the room, Merlin. It's been nice giving me a chance to explain the past." Balinor started to lead him toward the elevator where a man in black waited patiently. "Have a safe drive back home."

Merlin just nodded and uttered a soft 'thank you' before the man in black entered the elevator with him.

When the elevator doors closed and the raven haired boy now descending to the lobby, Catrina sighed and her smile turned into a scowl. She turned her heels around and started to climb the stairs.

"Well, I have work to do." Balinor said before he continued walking down the hall where his office was located. Isolde trailed behind him.

Percival slowly sauntered his way across the hall to where Vivian was standing, both hands in his pockets. "So, I heard from Gwen that you said some…inappropriate things to Merlin?" He said slyly.

Vivian turned her head around so quick and gave him a death glare. "It's not my fault that I don't know who he was. If I did, I might've watched my tongue." She put her hands on her hips and she turned around in an insolent way, her chin held high and she started to climb the stairs.

"You know Vivian, to avoid such a situation, why don't you just start watching that tongue of yours to everyone?" Percival tried to hide his laughter as Vivian's face turned red.

"I hate you." She stomped her feet and continued ascending up the stairs.

Percival laughed loudly. "Isn't that every day, mademoiselle?"

But the princess ignored him. She slammed the door behind him so loud Percival was sure it rocked the entire building.

"Your highness, I have some news to tell you." Elyan suddenly came up behind him. Percival almost jumped, his heart bursting out of his chest.

"Elyan! You shouldn't sneak up on someone like that! You know full well I am trained in Jiu Jitsu!"

"I'm sorry your highness, I won't do it again."

"What is it you wanted to tell me?" Percival walked toward the sitting room and headed toward the alcohol cabinet. He pulled out a bottle of whiskey out of the shelf and poured himself a glass.

"It's about Merlin." He paused, and then said, "And Prince Arthur."

Percival stopped pouring and shot a glance at him. "What about them?"

"Well since you told us to follow Merlin around wherever he goes and he escaped out of our hands…"

Percival glowered at him. "Yes, I know." He took a sip of his drink.

"Well, we followed him. And he was with Prince Arthur."

Percival almost choked on his drink, spilling out of his mouth and nose. "All the time? What's this about?"

"Yes, all the time."

Percival was speechless and more confused on what was going on. "So, you're telling me Merlin is with Prince Arthur? The time he ran out of our breakfast meeting to meet him?"

Elyan nodded although he didn't know anything about the breakfast thing. "And it appears sire, that Merlin doesn't recognize the prince."

"Well, how can you say that?"

"He…addresses him in a different name, your highness." He answered.

"What did they do all day?"

"Merlin was practically showing him around the city. They appear to be friends. They went to lunch, watched a play, and did some touring."

Percival didn't respond for a while. He took a sip from his glass of whiskey and sat on the sofa. "Is there anything else?"

 _Well, there was the kiss_ , Elyan thought. But Elyan wasn't going to ask for more trouble for the royal family since his job was to serve and protect them. That included family problems as well. Even if he's going to tell Percival that Arthur kissed Merlin, it would put a strain between the two royal families since Arthur was to be wed with Vivian, per his sister's gossip. And he knew how exactly bitter the two countries were at each other. This might be a wedding to signify peace between both nations and he wasn't going to be the cause of all that trouble when he broke them apart. _That was just a kiss. Merlin probably hasn't think of anything to it anyway._

"None. Just that."

"Well, thank you Elyan for informing me."

"Are you going to tell Merlin about Arthur's identity?" He asked.

Percival was sure Arthur has a perfectly good explanation on why he masqueraded as someone else. It could be to escape the paparazzi. He knew Arthur for a while now and he knew exactly how adventurous (and promiscuous) the other boy was. Merlin was probably just showing him around New York because he asked for it. Percival knew it was Arthur's first time in the city. In fact, he has done what Arthur has done three years ago in Istanbul where he disguised himself as someone else and he was toured around the magnificent city by two other citizens and even helped him evade the paparazzi. He laughed at the matter. The coincidence was Arthur found Merlin out of all people.

Arthur and Merlin.

That's when everything came into a halt. His mind blinked profusely to signal him a warning. All the walls had been obliterated into oblivion as he put two and two together. Arthur was coming to the gala tonight. Merlin was coming to the gala tonight. Arthur knew Merlin…and they were going to meet each other tonight.

"They're both coming to the gala! We must not let them see each other. Arthur will know who he is!" He ordered Elyan.

"And Merlin?"

"We must tell him who Arthur is. That way, we can work together and it's easier for all of us to avoid him."

 **III.**

"You what?" Morgause raged.

Valiant almost pissed his pants the moment he entered the hotel room where the evil queen resided. It was probably the most nerve racking and scariest thing he ever experienced. He found himself kneeling in front of her, who totally wanted his head on the chopping block.

"I…I'm sorry. One moment I turned my head around and then it was gone!"

"So you're telling me someone stole your photographs of the two kissing?" Valiant nodded his head. Morgause pursed her lips and slapped Valiant on the face. He fell to the ground instantly. Gary could hear how loud it was by how strong its echoes was and he moved forward to help him but Morgause lifted a finger to stop him. "Do you want to be fired Valiant?" Morgause glowered at him.

"No Morgause! Don't! I can make up for it!" He begged. He can feel his execution coming.

"And how? You god damn miss the whole thing! The pictures fucking lost and other magazines would probably put it in their shitty articles by tomorrow! How do you expect me to show you some fucking mercy?"

"There…There was a man. I…he was French –"he started but Morgause cut him off.

"French? That's worse. If ever a French magazine has those pictures, I'll make sure I'm the one who'll poke your eyes out." Morgause calmly picked up a butter knife from the coffee table.

"No, He was Avalonian! And I think he tried to destroy the pictures!"

"Well how can you say he tried to destroy it?"

"I haven't realized it before, but he was clearly trying to get me drunk! He even tried to break my camera but I really thought it was just an accident." Valiant reminisced from last night.

Morgause rolled his eyes. "You old fool. That was Arthur's fucking bodyguard. He found you out!" Morgause got up and crossed her arms. "These blackouts from the press are giving me hard and painful headaches. Now Arthur knew we were following him."

"We could still post an article about the thing." Valiant suggested dumbly.

"You dumb twat. The royal family could easily dismiss such a claim. We need pictures! Proof! And you messed it up!" Morgause sighed. She took a deep breath and exhaled. "I need to get ready for the gala tonight."

"So you won't fire me?"

Morgause stared at him for a moment. Suddenly, a light bulb lit up above her head and it shined so brightly the people of U.K. could see it across the Atlantic. She smiled wickedly.

"No, I won't fire you. But I have a plan. I want you to tell Arthur we have those photographs."

"But we don't!"

"I know. I know." Morgause caressed his cheek and chin seductively. "I want you to record the conversation you had with him. If you tell him you saw him with that boy, he'll deny it. Say you have a picture," She smirked, "He would threaten you not to show it."

"In that sense…" Valiant added. "But, that would get me killed! If it was me…"

"Power of the internet, my dear Valiant. Easy to be anonymous there. The truth comes out from the prince himself threatening a reporter not to show the pictures of him kissing another boy." Morgause smiled and touched her nose. "Checkmate. Once the public hears it with our article's little help, that small voice clip of him would give a whole light to the whole story. It would go viral."

"His voice would give it authenticity. I like that."

"Not just his voice. Maybe a video would go along with that. And Valiant, we just outed the crown prince."

Morgause walked back to her couch and sat comfortably, taking a sip of her wine. "And if it helps your career under my wings, I still want you to have a photo of that boy. A bonus if it's with Arthur. And I want you with me to the gala tonight. You're my date."

"I will do as you ask."

"Well, go now. I need to prepare. I can't wait to see Prince Arthur tonight."

 **IV.**

 _Phillips Residence_

Merlin sat comfortably on his bed wrapped around by his blanket as he watched another episode of _Frasier._ Two boxes of pepperoni and cheese pizza were lying in front of him half empty. A clean white shoe box lay on his study table and a hanged black suit cover hanging by the door. His phone lay beside him awaiting a call he really suspected would never come. Prince won't call after what happened last night. Now he was drowning himself with meat and fats. The past three days has been crazy with knowing about royalty and kissing a stranger. Pizzas always helped him deal with problems. Right now, the two boxes weren't helping him at all. He was about to grab his seventh piece when Will tapped on his window.

 _Finally._ Merlin grumbled. Merlin got up from the bed and opened the window. "About time you arrive. I called you like two hours ago!"

"Stuck with uncle. He was talking to me about something. I think he was talking about you." Will pointed at him as he grabbed a piece of pizza from the box on the bed.

"Why is your uncle talking about me?" Merlin asked curiously.

"It has something to do about Prince Arthur and you, the theatre, and…I don't know. He mentioned Lion King too. I wasn't really listening. Once you got him talking he never stopped. So I just put on my earphones and listened to music pretending I was still listening to whatever things he said! Anyway, what do you want me here for?" He sat on the bed as he tried to find the remote lost under the covers.

"Will, I have a favor to ask you." Merlin said slowly trying to get Will's attention to no success.

"Go on. What is it?"

"Well, I met my father…" He started but Will cut him off.

"The King? What did he said? Was he angry? Was he menacing or was he just cool?" Will asked all at once. "Was that the reason why you never came to Tango class this morning? Dude, you miss a lot of things!"

"Well none of the above except he's cool." He answered. "And yes I missed that thing. Did I miss anything important?"

"Only one cool move and I face-planted. Anyway, so what happened? Tell me!" Will asked, jumping on his bed.

Merlin took a deep breath and sat next to him. He spitted out all the details on how he got there. How he met Balinor and how he tried to convince the whole crowd that he was not right to be called a prince of a nation and that he utterly failed in his mission to convince them and instead, he accepted the offer on being a royal, unofficial of course, for six months. He also told him his moment with his dad and giving him a family ring, which Will was impressed by the glittering jewel Merlin was wearing. He also revealed to him he was going to the gala tonight.

"The gala?" Will asked, shocked.

"They offered. I accepted. As my first task to this awful six months, I have to come to this thing. It would be a start." He sighed. "Mom already allowed me to come anyway. I really hoped she said no. The fact that she agrees and supports the whole six months thing pains me even more."

"Dude, that's awesome!" Will enthusiastically got up from the bed. "Is this your suit?" He pointed at the suit cover hanging by the door.

"Yes. Elyan just delivered it a while ago."

Will walked toward it and opened it to reveal a slick black suit with a bow tie. "Merlin, this really looks expensive." He pursed his lips like he was trying to hold a word in. But Will succumbed to his curiousness. "How much is it?"

Merlin laughed and rolled his eyes. "Don't ask. I made that mistake when I tortured Elyan to tell me the price tag. I regretted it." He got up and walked toward him.

"I can handle it." Will smirked at him confidently. "I'm a man."

"Okay." He started and smiled wickedly. "Price tag, Fifteen…thousand." He paused as he took in the shock and astonished look from Will. "Oh, it's in Euros." He added.

"Euros? Damn." He zipped the cover closed cautiously, afraid he might ruin it. "I don't even know what made it expensive."

"Oh, just nothing. It's just the added black pure wool, the satin shawl lapel on the suit, a pure silk shirt, and two yellow diamond cufflinks and trust me they are real diamonds, and the black leather shoes over there. And the fact that it's handmade, and one of the only ten shoes made in the entire world, makes everything grandeur." He pointed at the shoe box from the table. "And the fact that they're all designed by Paul Smith."

"Paul Smith! This is crazy! How did you know all this?"

"I simply asked." Will twisted his eyebrows as if not believing the story. "Okay I googled it. Seriously, the moment I heard Paul Smith I choked. I don't even know if I'm coming. Before I left, Balinor…er, I mean father, told me I could change my mind. There's no need to rush."

Will's eyes widened and he burst out into a fit. "Are you kidding me? You would throw away an opportunity to mingle along with the most powerful people of the whole world?" He sighed. "Celebrities, politicians, other famous figures in our time, Kings and Queens and even the president of our nation is coming to that event. It would be a dream just to meet Tom Hanks or Christian Bale in it too." He paused. "I would do anything just to shake a king's hands."

"Great! Then it's settled! You're coming with me!" Merlin smiled as he strode across the room to his closet and pulled out another suit.

"Wait, what?" Will asked, obviously confused as Merlin gave him the suit and a pair of dress shoes. "What is this?"

"Oh. That came along with the suit Elyan gave me and you are going to wear that to the gala tonight. And believe me; it's not as expensive as mine so you don't have to fear you might destroy an expensive thing!" He paused. "Actually, I planned on returning both of these to get the refund."

"Wait, I'm coming? Merlin, I need to do a lot of stuff. I mean, I have a project due on Wednesday and an essay. And why am I coming?" Will was puzzled.

"You have Monday and Tuesday for that. And I'll do you're essay. It's easy." He responded. "Plus, I need a date for tonight."

"So you picked me without even asking me? How much is this anyway?"

"You are seriously going to ask?"

"Well, I can't wear it if I don't know how much I have to look out for it."

"Since you insist," Merlin paused. "Five thousand."

"Holy shit!" Will dropped the suit to the ground. "Oh fuck! I just ruined it!" He swiftly pulled it up. "Oh my god! I just ruined it!"

"Oh, boo hoo, you cry baby. It's perfectly safe. Just don't drip any sauce on the shirt."

"But without asking me?"

"Well, you said it yourself. You wanted to come. Plus you get to mingle with them. So I don't need to ask since you already said yes…Well, kind of yes." He crossed his arms. "Will, I can't ask Freya or Maggie tonight. You know why."

"Well, I don't know Merlin. It's a lot to ask."

Merlin desperately wanted to come up with a debt that Will owed him fast. He certainly was not going to give up on not showing up to the gala without a date beside him and to see the reaction on that girl's face once she realized he brought a man along with him. He'd probably laugh and he was not going to sit on a corner like a loner. He didn't want to be alone tonight. He needed a friend. Will better come or else Merlin has to pull some drastic measures to make the boy come with him.

"Will, think about the president." Merlin reasoned. "President Gareth David. Shaking your hand, taking a picture with him."

Will's eyes suddenly lit up. Merlin knew he just hit the jackpot. "Okay, Merlin, I know what you're doing and it wouldn't work."

"Oh, Will, didn't I tell you my father and the royal family is introducing me as a cousin of Percy. That would make me a relative to the royal family. I get to mingle with the others. I could introduce you to the president. Maybe dance along with princesses."

"It sounds tempting…"

"And that you could, I don't know…have a conversation with Oprah? That would certainly be a good Kodak moment." Merlin patted on his friend's shoulder. "And have you forgotten you owe me a lot of lunch money since third grade? I think it totals to five hundred dollars by now."

"Merlin…" Will started, glaring at him.

"This would certainly pay that debt." Merlin smirked and crossed his arms. "Plus, you're going along with me as a friend and we get to eat awesome food and have a good time together! We could even make fun with the Kardashians…if they're coming." He pointed out. "Cross that out, they're definitely coming."

"I would certainly love that." A smile crept on Will's lips.

"And we could finally meet that Prince Arthur Maggie and Freya are obsessing about and we could finally judge by ourselves how worth it he is." He joked earning a small chuckle from the other boy. "Remember when Freya and Maggie guessed he might be a good kisser…well I think not. He probably isn't. Come on Will! It would be fun!" He encouraged enthusiastically. "And Aaron Rodgers is coming. At least that's what I heard from Elyan."

Will swiftly turned his head around to his direction. "Aaron Rodgers? Okay, on just one tiny condition." Will offered instantly. Merlin paused and waited for him to continue. "We're going home early if I…or we felt uncomfortable like we don't belong there, and I've taken one photo with Aaron Rodgers."

Merlin smiled. He finally convinced the other boy to come. He no doubt felt that Will was going to enjoy the gala. He knew Will since kindergarten and he knew very well how he parties. He's crazy and very, very unpredictable on the things he would do once you get him started. The next step would be how to control Will once he was inside the building. That would be an extremely difficult challenge.

"That is actually a good plan. We'll leave if it's bad. And Will, keep it under control." He requested. But it sounded more like a demand.

Will just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I'm probably going to get bored easily there anyway." Merlin tried to hide a smile because he knew it wasn't true. Will enjoyed every party whether bad or not. This event was not going to be an exception. "But we must not stay there till midnight. My mom would kill me."

"Okay. Agreed." Merlin offered his hand and Will took it with his. They shook it. "Quarter to twelve, we'll leave. And I'm glad you're coming with me."

"I'm starting to have cold feet right now. I mean, meeting the president?" Will said excitedly. "Wait, when is this gala thing going to start?"

Merlin glanced at his watch. "Shit. It's going to start in three hours!"


	13. The Gala

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

THE GALA

 **I.**

It had been twenty minutes since Will went home with the suit he cautiously brought down into his apartment still nervous at getting into one of it or ripping it as he put it on. Merlin was in the shower and he noticed his fingers has become pruney. So, he decided that the shower was enough and has cleaned and exfoliated his body that it's glistening. He felt confident that he would look presentable this coming evening. He didn't want to arrive with a pimple sticking out like a loner on his face. He shampooed his hair thoroughly and washed his body with an expensive body wash that he has been using for many years and has greatly improved his skin. During his earlier days of puberty, hardly any breakouts occurred on his skin. In middle school, kids had suffered from acnes but he was the only one who has a pimple or two. Many girls clamored their way to him and made the other boys jealous. But that was before he came out. Now, they mocked his fair skin as something gay. He decided to accept that as a compliment.

Merlin got out of the shower and made his way to his bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. Before he entered his bedroom, he could hear his phone ringing from the other side. He swung the door open, rushed to the study table and picked up his phone. It was Percival. It's no surprise that Percival would call at this hour. The gala would start in two hours and he might ask him if he was nervous or something in which he would reply, 'a little bit but I can handle it' spirit. He sometimes regretted on giving his phone number to him because a tingle at the back of his head has been telling him that Percival would be calling him a lot in the next six months.

Merlin tapped on the answer button and put the phone against his ear. "Hello."

"I called twice now."

"Oh, sorry about that. I was in the shower."

"Oh." Percival awkwardly coughed on the other line. "Anyway, I called because I was going to ask if you're okay. I mean, if you're nervous or anything."

Merlin was right. He did call to check up on him. "Well, your highness…"

"Call me Percival…or Percy. Whichever you prefer to call me. We're brothers!"

"Okay…Percival. I am fine. And I'm not going to be alone in this because I have a friend who's coming with me." He laughed. "I appreciate you taking the role of big brother."

"Wait, who's your friend?" Percival asked, sounding a bit worried and uneasy from the other line.

"Oh, just my best friend for like several years. I convinced him to come. His name's Will and I could introduce him to you when I arrive at the gala tonight." Percival sighed from the other line which Merlin was confused about. "Are you okay?"

"Oh yes! Why wouldn't I be? Anyway, I called because I've got something to tell you."

"Okay, what is it?"

"I'm going to tell you the rest when you arrive but I just wanted to tell you this."

"Okay, I'm listening."

"For tonight, I want you to avoid Prince Arthur completely."

"May I ask why?" He asked, confused.

Percival was silent for a second before letting out an uneasy cough. "I…It…It has something to do with Great Britain and Avalon. Politics. Both governments had some disagreements on something."

"Oh. Politics."

"Yes. And since we are introducing you as part of the royal family…" He paused. "Wait, Elyan and I changed that and father agreed."

"What do you mean?"

"We're introducing you as a son of an aristocrat and nobleman of the royal court of Avalon. Just to put you away from any connections to the royal family in blood, IF ever someone tried to dig in." He informed.

"Oh that would be nice."

"If we ever we told someone you're our cousin, you'll be the prince questioned by everyone. So that wasn't really a smart plan from our side. Actually, my plan. This story could be safe for you. And you can safely…judge from a far if you want this life or not." Merlin can feel the other man smile from the other line in hope. "But I suggest you continue to put on that family ring, father would be dismayed if he sees you not wearing one. I personally would like you to. It looked good on you. Not on Vivian though." He let out a small chuckle.

Merlin chuckled as well. "So avoid Prince Arthur." Merlin was fine of that. He didn't know what Arthur looked like anyway and he's probably not going to bother looking for him during the gala so he'll be perfectly safe. As long as he stayed in close proximity with the royal family of Avalon, the British family won't be coming near them due to the feud.

"Yes. I can't have the nation feuding while both the royal family happily drinking champagne at each other while the countries both titter at the brink of war and crying blood!" He joked.

"Oh. Okay. I understand." Merlin heard about the history of the two countries and it had been discussed thoroughly on his European history class many times and the news. Will they ever go to war or not? Merlin won't risk a chance on starting one.

"I'll explain the rest to you later. But for now, get ready for the gala. I'll see you later."

Merlin said his goodbyes before Percival disconnected from the other line. He stared at the phone for a moment in confusion about avoiding the royal family of Britain. He shrugged, not really caring about it since he hated politics anyway and he didn't even care about Prince Arthur that much so it's okay for him if he's not going to see him around. He set the phone down on the study table and walked near his bed. He stared down at the elegant posh suit he was about to wear for tonight. It looked intimidating and sad. It's sad he couldn't keep it. He just didn't like the idea of using other people's money to buy something for him especially when he doubt that the money that came to buy this particular suit came from the taxes of the citizens of Avalon.

"Such a shame I'm returning you after this. Don't worry; you'll have a great time with me. That I can promise you." He picked up his suit and admired it. "Don't worry."

 **II.**

 _Emrys Hotel,_

 _The Presidential Suite._

Staring at the mirror, Prince Arthur effortlessly put on the bow tie around his neck. As he finished putting it on, he spent a few minutes admiring and brushing away some few lint that seemed its ambition was to cling on his suit and pants. It annoyed him greatly.

A maid slowly came walking toward him carrying a shoe box. She made no eye contact and bowed her head lightly as she neared him. She put it down on the coffee table beside him, and opened it. Inside was a pair of classic black shoes made by Arthur's favorite designer. She pulled them out and gently put them down in front of the prince.

Arthur comfortably slid both of his feet into his dress shoes and the woman started to busily tie the shoestrings for him as he waited patiently. He gazed out the window watching the city skyline as the few traces of sunlight slowly crept away from the darkening sky. He stared at his phone, which he tried to avoid, contemplating whether to call the raven haired boy. The idea seemed preposterous but deep inside he wanted to apologize but he couldn't find the courage inside to pick up the damn phone. He sighed. A light tap on the door snapped Arthur out of his thoughts. The woman finished tying his shoes and swiftly got up and bowed down her head to exit.

"Open the door on your way out." He ordered her.

The woman walked toward the door and opened it bowing again when she realized who was behind the door. It was Prince Lancelot.

"Ah, Lance. You're just in time for a small drink." He picked up another glass and poured alcohol on it.

Lancelot entered and approached him across the room and received the drink. "Nice suit."

"I know." Arthur turned to the mirror and once again admired the two buttoned, dark gray wool and cashmere-blend suit that he personally bought in Italy three months ago. It was a perfect fit to his toned body. It has been the first time Arthur wore it. "I personally went to the designer's house and have it fitted for me. So tell me, what brings you here in my room?"

"Well the drink," he raised the brandy on his hand. "And you. Since you asked me this morning if I could ride with you along with Morgana…I happily accept." He smiled. He sat down on the nearest sofa and took a sip of his drink. His face contorted and a smile crept on his face as he swallowed the liquor. "That's what I call a drink!"

"Well, there's plenty of time for that in the hall."

"When are we leaving?"

"In fifteen minutes." Arthur paused trying to hide a chuckle. "Or thirty if Morgana haven't decided yet what earrings would look good on her. Pretty much the last time I saw her she was struggling badly on what hand purse to bring."

"Women and things." Lancelot stated. "And earrings."

"Well, that's the same for us royals and rich men. We need to look good. I envy the common men though. They get to have a bad hair day."

The two men both looked at each other, and then a moment later started bursting in a fit of laughter. "I tell you, most us do. The old politicians are the ones who have a free pass. They can look bad all they want!"

As their laughter subsided, they heard a light knock on the door. Arthur called out for the person to enter. Oswald slowly opened the door and bowed his head. "Your highnesses, Princess Morgana would like to tell you that she'll be running a little late and ask for your patience."

Arthur turned to Lancelot with the look of, _"I told you so."_ Arthur walked up toward Oswald and patted his shoulder. A common gesture of the prince toward his servants although Uther directly told him not to do it again. Well, he never really listened to him anyway. "Very well, you know the saying, 'Better late than never.' That seemed to apply for this event." Oswald nodded and excused himself out the door. Arthur closed the door and sat beside his cousin on the sofa.

"Anyway, where were we? Ah! You know the boy you told me last night? Colin, was it? Well, are you planning on some cheesy pick up line to woo him into your arms?" Arthur laughed as he shook his head.

"Actually, I absolutely have no idea what to do. I fear my abilities are catching up on me. I'm afraid it won't work on him."

Arthur noticed the sadness and desperation in his cousin's tone. "You sounded like you put a great thought about it overnight."

"Well," He sighed, his voice wavering. "In the bookstore, I have so much confidence. But now I know he wasn't falling for it, it's a bit intimidating. I'm hoping when we meet tonight I would introduce myself more politely and probably diplomatically, making me as his acquaintance and possibly a friend. And let's see where that goes."

"A friend?"

"Yes, a friend."

Arthur smirked, and said, "Prince Lancelot Eric Rowan Saltazar du Lac, Duke of Kent, and Knight of the Order of the Garter, you seriously fancy this lad." Lancelot started to protest but Arthur cut him off. "You are even thinking deeply on how to impress him. I admit, I'm quite shock you are acting this way for the first time. Well, toward both man and woman." Arthur commented as he reminisced on the memory from the past when Lancelot tried to woo a woman and utterly failed at this endeavor. So far, Lancelot had only been rejected by three people, a record that might be broken if Colin utter the word, no.

Lancelot sighed. "I'm just going to talk to him. Probably offer a dance. I can't wait for uncle to see me dancing with a man. That would certainly be interesting."

"My father would definitely be uncomfortable. But who are we kidding? He's the man who when he knew about your preference, can't seem to come up with an interesting discussion when you are around." The thought of it dropped the light mood they've been having a bit. So far, no magazines or pictures had been released with him kissing another man. If Uther found out about it, Arthur has no idea what will happen to him or to the family. He didn't even know how the people of Britain would react.

As if on cue, Lancelot noticed Arthur's expression. "Thinking about that lad, Merlin?"

"No."

"Liar."

"Well, okay, I am." He sighed, slinking deeper on the sofa. "I can't even apologize to him."

"Spill it."

"I…I can't grab my phone, ring him, and say, _'hey, I apologize for last night. It seemed ridiculous and truly inappropriate on what I did. And I can assure you, I have no feelings in return so we can drop the whole fucking subject, can we?'_ Yeah, that would cheer him up with that one."

"So…you don't want to say you didn't have any feelings when you two kissed?"

"NO!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, because that's what I got from your speech."

"I am positively not having any feelings for him. It was an accident and I was upset that day given the circumstances in the breakfast. I don't think he has any feelings for me either, so we're clear with that."

"Do you know exactly that he didn't have feelings for you in return?"

Arthur thought for a second, reliving the memory of that night. He wasn't really sure if what he felt was a pressure on his lips of Merlin kissing him back but he was probably hallucinating and got lost in the moment. He was pretty sure he was the only one applying the pressure. "I…I don't know." He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose and grumbled. "Let's just change the subject."

"Okay. Can I ask you a question?"

"Hit me with it."

"Well, I just did."

Arthur looked at him in confusion, knitting his brows together as he stared at him. Realizing it was a joke, Arthur chuckled softly at the bad joke his cousin seemed to have plenty of supply of. It did make him forget about the subject they were discussing more than a few seconds ago. It was the first time he was thankful for Lancelot's lack of sense of humor. Arthur got up and walked to the end table beside his bed. He opened the drawer and pulled out a tiny leather box. He opened it, pulled a small round object.

"What is that?" Lancelot asked.

"Oh, this?" Arthur extended the object to Lancelot's palm. "It's a tracker. Doesn't track me all the time but, if I got lost or anything or in an emergency, I just have to press this tiny bugger and they can find where I am."

"That's convenient."

"Well, I never really used it. Father wanted it with me so, what's the harm?"

"Think we can wait for Morgana in the sitting room?" Lancelot asked.

"Yes, sure. I've been tired staying in my room all day anyway."

 **III.**

"Merlin, are you ready?" Hunith asked behind the door.

"Yes, I'm coming!" He shouted over. A few heavy steps and the door swung open to reveal Merlin in a tuxedo. The very first time Hunith saw him in one since Merlin didn't like to go to any formal dances in school. Hunith was impressed.

"Oh, you look good. You are very…princely."

"Not princely enough! There's only one piece left!" Merlin excitedly showed the white handkerchief and he carefully put it on the front pocket of the suit. "Now, what do you think?" He asked.

"Perfect! Now you're a prince!"

"Oh…right," Merlin started awkwardly. "They're not introducing me as their cousin. That plan changed. I'm now a son of an aristocrat or a politician or whatever."

"Why would they do that?"

"I don't know. It was Percival's plan. He sound a little nervous though, and he was like, it's to throw off suspicion if people find out you are my cousin, or something."

"Oh, that makes sense. No magazines will be publishing you as 'who is this new prince?' headline."

"Right. Besides, if they were introducing me as their cousin, no one would notice me anyway. I bet I'll be invisible in the world stage just like in real life." Merlin laughed.

"Don't say that. You are not invisible to me." Hunith sauntered closer to her son and embraced him. "Be ready for anything out there. I know it's a scary world."

Merlin guffawed. "Don't remind me. I've heard enough horror stories from you."

Merlin didn't know why he was so excited for this event. It seemed as the minutes and hours passed by nearing the occasion, he grew more and more excited. It was probably because this was his first attendance to a party celebrated for many years by the rich, the powerful and the like. It was a highly covered event around the world but with a touch of privacy. No one really knew what's going on inside except for the statements of those invited. The whole place was heavy in security and no one has ever planned or attempted to interrupt the occasion. It was the gathering of the most powerful and influential people around the world that were invited only and that were what Merlin was so excited for. Well, the nervousness climbed higher and higher by the second too.

"These contact lenses are bothering me. Why can't I just wear my glasses?"

"Hey, you look really good without your glasses on. And don't worry; you'll wear your glasses tomorrow anyway. It's only for tonight."

"This really reminds me on why I hate contact lenses. They're uncomfortable."

"Well, you better get used to it. Will is already downstairs and Elyan and Barabbas are waiting for you outside the door. Merlin, good luck!" Hunith kissed Merlin on the cheek. "But Merlin, be careful. You are in the midst of famous people who have nut jobs who wanted to do harm on them. Don't count on the security, okay?" She warned.

This was the fourth time such a gala was held in The United States. The last time was in 1997 in New Orleans, 1963 in Hollywood and in 1946, right after World War II. So far, the Taliban, ISIS and a few terrorist organizations and even a group of college hackers with nothing better to do has threatened to disrupt such a peaceful charity event in the past but they were never acted upon. So the whole world viewed the gala as a peaceful gathering. In there, they could potentially discuss about world issues with other leaders and other influential people if they wanted to.

"Mom, the building is secure. Elyan told me so. There are royals coming to the event. Plus, the President of the United States will be there along with other few leaders and there's going to be celebrities there so I can say that I am perfectly safe." Merlin assured her. "And with them comes security. Like, even Batman couldn't crash through that place with his tech. I am in the safest place I can be tonight."

"Okay, if you say so." Hunith quickly glanced at her wristwatch. "Hey, you better go! You don't want to be late for such thing!"

Merlin let out a small laugh. "Mom, I don't know anyone there. Everyone probably knew each other. I don't."

"Oh, you! But if your Spanish skills are put to use, impress them." Hunith cupped his cheek and smiled at him.

"Well, more than half of Avalon speaks French and the other half speaks German…" Merlin started.

"I mean, if someone there speaks Spanish, talk to them. It wouldn't hurt striking a conversation for a change. Its good practice for your oral test in a few weeks!"

"Okay, if someone does, I will. Now, I better go before Elyan and Barabbas started coming up here and asking for me."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Hunith stopped him.

He looked at her in confusion and he tried to remember whether he forgot anything or not. He saw his mother's eyes looking down below him and he realized she was staring on his hands. He glanced down and found his family ring gone. He remembered he left it on the sink in the bathroom when he was about to take a shower.

"Oh, my ring!" Merlin exclaimed and hit himself mentally for being forgetful to put it on. Merlin rushed to the bathroom door went inside and found the family ring sitting at the counter. He picked it up and swiftly put it on. Now, he emerged with the ring wrapped around his middle finger.

"I must admit, it looked good on you."

"Thank you. I better go."

"Be careful!"

"I will!"

Merlin hurriedly went down the stairs and found Will along with Barabbas and Elyan waiting by the door. The two bodyguards lightly bowed down their heads as he approached.

" _J'ai juré mon allégeance à vous en tant que votre garde, Votre Altesse Royale_." Elyan spoke softly as he bowed down his head.

Merlin smiled at them and shook his head. "Elyan, how many times have I told you guys I don't speak French?"

"Well, it's tradition to say it. Barabbas knew little too." Elyan chuckled in his French accent.

"Oh. What did you say anyway?"

"I only swore that my allegiance is to you as your trusted guard. I will protect you with all my life, your highness. As do Barabbas. He's still learning French though."

"Well, that's nice of you but, I'm not really a prince officially."

"If I heard it from King Balinor himself that you're our prince, we fully put our _allégeance_ to you _cent pour cent!_ " Elyan said enthusiastically while Barabbas nodded.

"Your highness, its tradition for Avalon guards and a sign of respect to voice out there allegiance when a monarch or a royal is born or arrived. In your case, we voice out to protect you." Barabbas informed him. "To our eyes, you are officially a royal. You wore the ring, we serve."

"So, now I can order you around?" Merlin chuckled and the other guys looked at each other and in unison, nodded their heads.

"Now that you wore the ring, we are completely under your command."

Merlin stared at the little gold ring wrapped around one of his fingers from his left hand. For such a little thing could hold so much power. "Oh, so you mean, I can command an army from this thing?" He joked.

"It's possible."

"Wow. That's awesome!" Will interjected from behind the two. "Like Game of Thrones shit!"

"Oh okay. I better watch out what I say then." Merlin laughed as they head for the hallway.

"Well, all the servants in the castle have the right to speak out the logic of the monarch, your highness. We can question your logic and you can decide whether to listen or not." Elyan added.

"That's nice to hear." Merlin turned to Will beside him. "Excited, pal?"

"You betcha!" Will raised his fist up high like in the Breakfast club as they headed for the car.

Traffic. It's to be expected in a concrete jungle with a population of eight million. They were stuck for fifteen minutes now and the gala will start in twenty minutes. Of course, people usually come in late in such an event maybe because they thought they were too important or their ego was just too big. Merlin wasn't really worried they're coming in late for five minutes or so but he just wanted to be early. He should have ridden the subway instead. That would be so much faster than the streets in New York. He was nervous stepping out of the car and maybe flashes from cameras would overwhelm him, and he'll be drowning by all the white, flashing light until the next day, he'll be completely blind. Elyan warned him about it. He sighed in relief when Elyan assured him there's another private entrance at the corner to avoid those paparazzi clamoring for a picture to sell. He told Elyan to go there instead.

Two bottles of water and a diet coke later, Merlin was really bored. Will was enjoying watching a small portable television beside him. He quite enjoyed Law & Order to pass time but Merlin did not bother on watching it. Traffic has no hope of improving in the next few minutes. They're still stuck. Merlin focused his attention on the little gold ring on his finger. He admired the perfect detail of the elephant carrying an arrow on his trunk and an elegant rug wrapped on his back. He suddenly remembered what Balinor told him about a certain legend they called Elephant Royale.

"Elyan, do you know anything about my family crest?"

"You mean _Elephant Royale_?"

"Yes, that one. Do you know anything about it?"

Elyan and Barabbas laughed out loud. "It's a famous bedtime story in Avalon. Every child has heard of it!"

"Can you tell me about it?"

"Well, my grandmother told me about it in French so I'll try to translate it to English." Merlin smiled and focused his attention to Elyan.

"Well it was a legend." Elyan started. "A very famous legend to our people." Merlin waited in silence. Elyan continued, "Thousands of years ago, a little prince and his family, the king and queen, visited an exotic land in the south far, far, far away from the kingdom. They met interesting people in their travels, trading with them and befriending them. They get to taste different kinds of food from those people and met different kinds of animals.

"One day, the little prince ventured out into the jungle alone to explore. As he wandered deeper and deeper into the dense jungle, he found a little elephant trapped and stuck in the mud. A few arrows were sticking out of its leg and the prince can tell he was wounded. The little prince helped the helpless elephant out of the sticky mud and nursed him back to health. For three days, the elephant and the boy bonded with other animals and became friends. Sadly, it's time for the little prince and his family to return back to the kingdom. The elephant promised to return the kindness the prince has given him in the future.

"As many years passed, the little prince was now all grown up, married and an heir to the throne of his kingdom. His friendship with the elephant was only in his memory. One cold night, the prince awoke in his castle. He looked outside his window to find his kingdom in flames. That night, his half-brother revolted and conspired to kill his parents, the King and Queen, and take the throne for himself along with his wife. The prince was banished south, far, far away from his home, leaving his wife and his people behind in chains and his kingdom under the brutal force of a tyrant. He vowed to return one day and retake his kingdom.

"For a year, he wandered the dangerous land hungry and thirsty and on the brink of death. By chance, the little elephant, now grown up as well, rescued him and nurse him back to full health. The prince wept as he met his long lost friend and told him about what happened to his family. The elephant still held on to his promise to return the favor of what the prince did to him many years ago.

"Calling his giant friends and the tribes in the surrounding jungle, thousands of giant Elephants, along with other animals both meat eater, and leaf eater, and the tribes that protected them, marched toward the kingdom with the prince and his elephant friend leading them.

"His half-brother didn't expect the prince to return at all and in a brutal and bloody battle, the enemy soldiers and its people have been stomped, thrown, devoured, scratched and brutally torn apart piece by piece. The prince killed the tyrant and his dwindling army and finally the long lost prince has returned to his home and his wife and family. Now the new King of the kingdom, he promised to his friend that he will honor their service and his loyalty by celebrating and protecting his kind from danger. The elephant said the same. And then for decades, no one dared invade the kingdom for they fear the wrath of the King's loyal friends.

"And to this day, that's what you see in every corner of Avalon. The elephant crest. It's a cherished legend of the people. It's a quite fascinating stuff."

"That's a good story." Merlin commented.

"Dude! That will make a good TV show. Or a movie." Will interjected.

"It scared me to death though when I was a child. Feared the King throughout my childhood. I thought if he gets mad, he'll call his animal friends and tore everyone apart. Every child feared it. It's quite an effective bedtime story." Elyan added in.

"I remember they made it into cartoons." Barabbas chimed in.

" _Oui_ , they did. They only did it once though. But still kids watched it and got scared. The battle was brutal even for a cartoon. I mean, heads thrown out and animals dying, it's gory for a five year old. I mean, what kind of parents would let a child see such thing?"

"Is that why the family donated stuffs for elephants?" Merlin asked.

"Yes and it's been an ongoing tradition. Every year and every gala, the family always donated something for the elephants in the wild."

The traffic finally improved and the car rolled down the street under the speed of twenty than the last time they were moving at the speed of a turtle. It was a great improvement.

"Is the legend true?" Merlin asked. It was kind of a stupid to ask about it; Animals banding together to defeat an evil enemy? There's Disney written all over it and he was quite surprised they haven't made a movie out of it. _Well, like Elyan said, it was a brutal battle. But I'm sure they could make it into one of their PG movies._

"Well, it usually depends your highness. It's up to you whether the story was real or not. For me personally, I believe the story to be true." Elyan answered. "If it wasn't, I was wasting my childhood being scared of getting into the zoo when my parents decided to take a trip there. I was even afraid of our family dog."

Elyan paused, as if something on his mind pulled him out of reality. "You know, to tell you the truth, your highness, I feel guilty for feeling happy he died a year later after I watched the movie."

 **IV.**

Merlin's hunch was right. As he looked outside his window, photographers and the press were all gathered at the side of the red carpet along with a heavy security line pushing them back from tackling the people walking down the red carpet. Many celebrities and other people has been standing, posing and enjoying their photos taken, obsessing with their popularity. Some people just walked straight, not minding the photographers flashing their cameras at them and it looked like they don't really want their photos taken. The Grand Emerald Hall looked like it's a cut out of ancient Greece, with huge eight pillars flanking a giant, wide arched doorway with oak wood double doors. The building at least stood eight stories high, and the giant stairs at least rose up three feet, all covered in rose petals and a long red carpet, snaking its way out onto the busy street. The walls were swarming with lively colors from a dazzling lightning show, with green blue, purple and red dancing with each other. A huge line of cars was waiting in a line to unload their passengers on a busy street right in front of the building. Luckily for him, he won't be strutting down there and instead Barabbas drove to a corner where a private gate was opened.

Elyan switched his CB radio on and said to it, "We're here." A woman answered the other line.

Barabbas tailed behind another car, which stopped in front of the stairs leading to a pair of huge brown colored doors leading into the building. Two guards stood beside the doors at each end, their expression intimidating. A man and a woman emerged from the car in front of them and walked toward the doors. Merlin didn't recognized them. The car in front drove out and it was Barabbas's turn to park the car in front of the entrance. Elyan swiftly came out of the car beating the doorman as he was about to open the passenger door and instead, he was the one who opened it.

"Your highness." Elyan said softly to avoid the others from hearing.

Merlin smiled at him as Elyan offered his hand. He took it and climbed out of the car. The cold chilly air passed through Merlin like a breeze. He forgot how cold it was from being stuck inside the car. Will climbed out of the car behind him as Elyan helped him out.

"Is there no chance of me getting back in the car?" Merlin asked Barabbas softly. The man only let out a small chuckle and moved shook his head. "Okay, just checking."

"Good evening, gentlemen." The doorman greeted with bright eyes and a huge flashing smile. Merlin felt uncomfortable the moment the man stepped in front of him.

Barabbas opened his coat and pulled out an envelope. The doorman grabbed it and opened it. "Oh, Merlin. Son of Chancellor Archibald Norm…yes, you are on our list. You may come in."

Merlin and the rest entered the building as Will tried to hide his laugh. "Archibald Norm? Really?" Will asked under his breath.

Merlin rolled his eyes and glared at Elyan who just laughed. "He's a good friend of the royal family and he has agreed to pose as your father."

"You should have told me earlier so I won't be surprised at the name of my fake father."

"We've arrived." Barabbas interrupted after he opened the large doors heading toward the lobby.

A flock of elegant and gorgeous gowns and dresses paraded toward larger doors probably leading toward the hall of where the party was held. Gentlemen in refined black tuxedos walked hand in hand with the ladies. It was an overwhelming sight to see. Merlin could only recognized a few of the people and he guessed mostly everyone were politicians or businessmen that were CEOs of their own companies. There was so much money in the room. Merlin realized that he's among the men with billions priced over their heads.

"Is that Christopher Nolan?" Will asked behind him. Merlin turned his head around to where Will was pointing. It was definitely him. He nodded his head to Will in agreement mixed with shock and awe.

"Man, I love his batman movies. I can't wait to meet that guy." Will commented excitedly.

Elyan and Barabbas led them toward the large doors leading to the hall. Merlin could feel the pressure inside his ear about to pop, his heart beating faster and faster as he neared the wooden doors. His palms sweat like a river and he was two seconds away from running toward where he came from, hail a cab and get as far away as possible from the building. But it's too late for he has stepped into the room and to a night of crazy.

Not one but three giant crystal chandeliers greeted him, hanging above an open space, which he thought was the dance floor, and candles were lit on each table. The space was like half the size of a football field, stretching far back to another staircase across from where they stood. The room could easily fit a thousand people. At the middle left was an elevated stage, with a podium at the center. Some of the guests had already been seated on the tables and laughing and talking to each other. A grand staircase was in front of him leading him down to the dance floor then toward the tables. Many of the servers wandered around the halls offering a glass of champagne or appetizers for the guests.

Merlin looked down from the top of the stairs and found Percival standing at the bottom looking up and smiling at him. He smiled back. He came down and met him at the end still lightheaded for being part of such event. "Merlin. I was afraid you wouldn't come." Percival said.

"If I've known that this is how elegant it would be…I wouldn't miss it for anything." He chuckled, looking up the chandelier hanging above him, afraid that it would swallow him whole.

"Well, I'm glad you liked it. And you brought a friend with you." Percival turned toward the man behind Merlin.

"Oh! Right! This is Will. My best friend since childhood. He's the only one who knew about me and I trust him."

Percival extended his arm to him. "Nice to meet you." Will gently shook his hand in return and a little intimidated by his presence.

"And Will, this is Percival, my brother."

"Sweet party, dude." Will commented as he looked around the place as he shifted awkwardly from where he was standing. Then, he face fell, and he gaped so wide, Merlin was afraid bugs would crawl in there. "Oh my god! I mean, your highness! Sweet party…your highness."

"You shouldn't compliment me I'm not the one who organized this place." He laughed. "But I'm glad that you liked it as well."

 **~~~oOo~~~**

Percival needed to tell Merlin about Prince Arthur. He should've led Merlin to the side and tell him about the guy the moment he saw him but that would be rude. He should warn him for it would blow his cover and Merlin wouldn't have a choice but to be a prince. As much as Percival would like his brother to be with him running a kingdom, he should let him choose it instead.

It was a plan but Percival's eyes wandered at the top of the stairs and he was amazed to see Princess Morgana climbing down the steps. She looked magnificent. His jaw dropped to the floor and gone to oblivion as he watched Morgana walked toward him wearing a one sleeve purple dress. The color matched his skin perfectly. As if time slowed down and the only woman he could see was her. He knew he was gaping but he needed to stop now. He must talk to his brother for the Pendragons were coming.

He snapped his head around and found him gone in front of him. Will vanished too. He wondered if he spaced out for a long time. He turned to Barabbas beside him. "Where is he?"

"Oh, he ran to the bathroom. He said specifically, 'they're about to burst.'"

Percival rolled his eyes when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He swiftly turned around and almost scared the person in front of him. It was Morgana.

"Wow, you're a bit jumpy today." She joked.

"I'm sorry…I was stressed the whole day."

"Well, I'm glad you're here to enjoy the party. You needed it. And you get to be my date."

Percival blushed and chuckled softly. "Who could resist such a lovely young lady?"

Morgana looked up to Percival's eyes and for a moment they held that gaze that seemed like forever. No words came out of their mouth but it seemed they could understand each other. Percival could tell through her eyes that she approved of his suit and that Morgana knew that Percival liked the way she looked tonight. Suddenly, Arthur jumped at the middle smiling and playing oblivious at the two.

"Percival, it's nice to see you again." He extended a hand without looking at him, but his eyes scanned all over the place.

"It's nice to see you too. Who are you looking for?"

"Where's Vivian?"

"Aw, you missed your fiancée?" Morgana joked.

Arthur glared at her with piercing eyes. "I'm trying to avoid her." Then he turned to Percival, and added, "No offense. By the way, where's the bathroom?"

"Hoping you'll see her there?" Morgana asked again, chuckling under her breath.

Arthur smiled mockingly at her and rolled his eyes. "For obvious reasons, Morgana."

Barabbas interjected, "It's that way your highness."

Arthur nodded to him and headed to that direction. It took a moment for Percival to realize where Arthur was heading. He was about to pull Arthur, tell him to wait for a few minutes before going, but the boy disappeared into the crowd.

 **V.**

Yes, Merlin should never ever drink too much water and sodas especially when he was going to a high class event. It was a public bathroom highly unlikely for the bigger ego and rich people to go into so he's perfectly safe not running into a president of a country or something. There was a private bathroom (from Barabbas's direction) but he couldn't find it and this was the only bathroom in the hallway. He was left with no option.

He swung the door open and was pleasantly surprised at how nice the bathroom looked. It was squeaky clean and Merlin felt like a king to be in there. It was even bigger than his own bedroom. This place was probably meant for the waiting staff. Three stalls were at a corner and two urinals were mounted at the opposite side. A large mirror was placed onto the wall near the door. There was no one in the room but him. Since he never really used the urinals for he believed there's no privacy when he's peeing, he chose the farthest stall instead.

The moment he closed the door, another man entered in a rush. He could hear his shoes stopped, probably from realizing that it was a public bathroom, and then he started walking again. But Merlin didn't expect the man to enter the stall next to his for he thought he was heading out to the door. Merlin did his business as usual and took a quick peek at the bottom and saw the man's rather opulent looking and expensive shoes. He decided he needed to leave the room as soon as possible before the other man got out to avoid an awkward hand washing with him. As he was about to open his stall door, another man opened the entrance door.

"Arthur, are you here?" The man asked.

 _Arthur? Not like THE Arthur? Well, there's too many Arthur in the world…_ Merlin thought. An answer came from the stall next to him and he sounded British. He heard the door swung open and a blonde haired guy came out. Merlin remained in the stall as he peeked through the side. He certainly looked familiar to Merlin's eyes but he could only see his back and the back of his head. He remembered Percival telling him not to be around him.

"King Uther has been looking for you." The man walked toward the sink where Arthur was. It was the man who was flirting with him at the bookstore. _What was his name? Lancelot?_ Now, Merlin was certainly fucked. If this guy ever found out who he was…he'll have no choice but to be a prince. And he certainly didn't want that.

"I'll be out in a minute." Arthur said. "Did you see him? Colin?"

Oh, how could Merlin forget such a thing? He remembered telling the man he was coming to the gala…and that he was a prince. He was seriously screwed. Explaining he wasn't a prince because he's father was Archibald Norm ( _seriously, who named a guy Archibald these days?)_ who was a politician and how his bodyguard address him as your highness as a mistake would be really confusing for an ordinary man and really awkward.

"No. Not yet. He'll be around. By the way, you know this is for the staff right?"

"Yes, I know. I don't have a choice and this was the first door I saw."

He heard the sink stopped running and the two men headed toward the door. Still, Merlin couldn't see Arthur's face. He was a bit disappointed by that but he quickly pushed it at the back of his mind that now he has a serious matter. Lancelot…or if that was his name, could potentially reveal his whole identity. The whole plan has to change when the royal family introduced him as a son of a politician. This would be confusing. He needed to avoid that man the whole night which was an impossible task to do.

 _I could hide under the tables…wait…that would make me look like a creep._ Merlin thought.

He waited for a minute before walking out of his stall and being sure that the two men won't come back again. He washed his hands on the sink briefly and headed toward the door. He peeked outside and he can only saw a man, probably a server, walking out of the kitchen door. He smiled at him when he passed by.

Merlin was now back in the hall. More guests had poured in the floor taking their seats and chatting and enjoying the cocktail hour. He glanced at his watch and it's too early for the guests to be seated for dinner plus cocktail hour was a long way over. He guessed he probably has less than half an hour before someone requested all the guests to be seated for the main event. That's a lot of time to avoid one guy…and a royal family. He needed to find Percival quick and tell him everything. Luckily, Percival was talking to someone at the opposite side of the room from where he was from.

It seemed like the universe was working against Merlin tonight because Lancelot…or whatever his name was…appeared like a ghost right at the middle between them. Merlin hastily moved to a larger crowd, sidling his way right at the middle and ended up having a smiling contest with a Korean ambassador, as Lancelot was about to turn his head to his direction. The ambassador started talking to him but Merlin did not bother to stay and dashed to the nearest cluster of people. But, like the universe tonight, someone up there hated him as well. Lancelot saw him as bright as day.

Lancelot was tall, dressed up in a black suit with a bow tie like his, as if the universe aligned and decided they both matched. He was strikingly handsome against the light of the chandelier. Merlin paused for a moment to admire him, but he quickly pulled himself out of his thoughts and scrambled out of the tall, dark, and handsome man moving toward him.

 **~~~oOo~~~**

Lancelot's face lit up like a Christmas tree as he recognized the face of the boy hidden behind a group of men standing at the corner. He strutted toward the group and he couldn't believe how he felt nervous meeting the boy for a second time. But as he moved closer and closer, he noticed that the raven haired boy has vanished. He looked around the hall hoping he'll catch the sight of the familiar face. He was sure Colin saw him. A funny feeling inside his stomach told him the raven haired boy was avoiding him tonight.

 **VI.**

 _That. Was. Close._

Merlin hid behind a column, his heart beating wildly, and he didn't know what to do next. That was close for him to handle. He calmed himself down a bit as he watched the servers passed by in a zombie-like manner. One server was carrying a tray full of unshelled prawns and Merlin grabbed one and put it in his mouth. He didn't realize how hungry he was, his stomach growling. The flavor burst on his tongue, dancing like a ballerina. A small part of him didn't want to go home early and just wanted to eat all the food. A light bulb lit up above his head, an idea that might work if he could pull it off for the rest of the cocktail hour.

Feeling optimistic, he took off his suit and hanged it around his arm. He saw a server left a tray of champagne on a table as he assisted a guest at a corner. He quickly grabbed the tray and walked as far away from it as possible hoping the server won't catch him. Most of the servers were in white shirts and black bow ties but his didn't really matched up with them since it looked more sumptuous than the rest. But it didn't matter. No one would notice anyway if they looked closely. _I'll play as a waiter for half an hour, dress up and find Percival's table for the main event._ Merlin thought. He walked around the room trying to get to Percival in a hurry. Three people called on him wanting a glass of champagne so he knew the plan was working. Merlin put his head down avoiding anyone's gaze as he hid behind the tall glasses of champagne. He raised the tray on his head level hoping he could hide from Lancelot.

"Oi! Over here!" A man called behind him.

Merlin walked toward him, not knowing where he was since the glasses blocked his way, and found the man calling for him and the woman he was talking with.

"Champagne, sir." He said politely without any eye contact from the other man, the tray still hiding his face.

"Yes, Yes." The man answered picking up two of the glasses.

"Enjoy your drink, sir." Merlin hurriedly left when a chubby man called him from afar for a drink.

"Arthur, you know I don't drink alcohol." The woman annoyingly snorted.

"Well, more for me then." The other man said.

 _Arthur?_ Merlin was tempted on turning his head around but he abandoned the idea when he saw Will on the buffet table full of appetizers. He put the tray aside and put on his suit again. The fact that Will and alcohol didn't mix well made Merlin scared when he saw Will carrying a glass of wine from his hand. Merlin knew too well this would end badly. He swiftly walked toward Will who was enjoying a few bites of chocolate truffles. He grabbed Will's arm and dragged him to a corner.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh my god. You cannot believe how awesome the food is. You know, I shared a tray with wait for it," as if suspense was building in the room, which for Merlin wasn't really, Will joyfully burst out the name of the guest. "Tommy Lee Jones. How awesome is that? I ate dinner with Tommy fucking Lee Jones."

"Well, the food you're eating is not the main course, Will. There's more coming."

Will's eyes widened and he gaped, his excitement brewing deep within. "There's more?"

"Yes. Those are just appetizers. How many did you eat anyway?"

"A lot. I thought this was like an all you can eat buffet. Like the Chinese restaurant downtown, you know. Except without screaming at the Chinese manager for not having rice balls."

"Are you drunk?"

"Maybe."

"Oh for the love of God, Will! You know how a lightweight you are!"

"I got nervous trying to talk to Meghan Traynor! She's beautiful!" Suddenly, Will's eyes turned wide open as if realizing what he had just said. "Don't tell Freya."

"Don't worry. We're not telling anybody we're in this party anyway." Merlin grabbed Will's drink and threw it in an odd looking pot from a corner.

Will gaped at him in shock. He looked back and forth from the pot where Merlin threw the glass and to him shaking his head in disagreement. "You littering scrooge!" He pointed accusingly at him followed by his laugh that annoyed Merlin greatly. "That bottle of wine must have cost a fortune!"

"Will! It's not even twenty minutes into the event!" Merlin muttered.

"Okay, you may not have seen it, but I might have snuck in a glass or two in the car…"

"You drunk the limo's bar?"

"Hey, it was there and I couldn't help myself drinking an expensive bottle of scotch…"

As if the word was crashing down on him, Merlin's head was about to explode. It was a mistake bringing Will to the event but he was the only one he knew well aside from the Emrys royal family. He didn't want to sit at a corner alone all evening with only Percival (how awkward that would be) or his father (more awkward) to talk to. Though, he never looked at the bigger picture of bringing Will to the gala. Food. It always came down to the food and drinks. A tap on his shoulder sent Merlin jumping a feet up in the air. He turned around quickly and saw the person he was trying not to see tonight, the man he was trying to avoid.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

Lancelot.

Merlin has lost his way of words for he was unable to speak. He could start by saying 'Hi' but that word won't come out. He was pushing for the lie. But given his recent history of lying…he's screwed. He was second guessing what to say first whether to say he was not a prince and he was a son of a politician. But, he blurted the first thing that came to his mind. "I'm not a politician!" A second later, he picked up on what he just said and the prospect of running away was getting even bigger and bigger.

Lancelot stared at him in confusion tilting his head to the side not really knowing whether to take that one as a joke or not. He laughed, and said, "Oh good. I'm in safe company then."

Merlin didn't know whether to laugh or smile or even nod. Out of instinct (and great panic) he did all of them. He nodded like an idiot, smiled like an idiot and laughed like an idiot. Doing it all together, it made him ridiculous. "What are you doing here?" Merlin asked slowly while at the same time searching for an escape route.

"I'm invited."

"Of course you are." Merlin mumbled. He hoped Lancelot didn't remember what happened yesterday. But if Lancelot could remember him, he surely remembered what Elyan address him. He hoped it was the former.

"It's nice seeing you again, your highness."

 _Damn, he didn't! And I'm not glad I'm seeing you._

"I share the same feelings." Merlin smiled that earned a blush from the other young man. A tingle of warmth has crept on Merlin's face too and he tried to hide it but failing miserably from Lancelot's gaze.

"So…Colin, is it right if I call you Colin?"

Merlin's eyes widened as he realized he didn't exactly knew his true identity. Giving him his middle name wasn't bad after all. "Colin would be fine." He said.

"Would you want some Annabelle Chocolates? They're my favorite here in New York." Lancelot raised a small plate and on it were five truffles with a toothpick stuck on each of it.

 _Good taste._ Merlin smiled at the thought. This man wasn't bad after all. "I would love to."

Merlin picked the darkest out of all of them and took a bite out of it. He could feel Lancelot staring at him as he took his first bite.

"They're my favorite as well." Lancelot said. "I seemed to have found we have the same taste."

Merlin took another bite of the chocolate, helping himself to the one with a raspberry filling, one of his favorites.

"So, have you talked to anyone yet?" Lancelot asked sheepishly.

"No, I have not."

"The same. Six hundred guests are a lot to say hello." It earned a chuckle from the raven haired boy and Lancelot smiled at that. Lancelot's gaze abruptly left his, and he turned to someone behind him. "Speaking of meeting guests, here, there's someone who wants to meet you." Lancelot gently grabbed Merlin's hand and dragged him across the hall.

"Wait, I need to help my…" he looked back and found Will was gone somewhere and maybe fully drunk by now. He felt Lancelot stopped and talk to someone but he was too busy looking around the place for Will. He scanned the nearest tables filled with food or any familiar faces Will was a fan of, but the boy has vanished.

"Arthur! I want you meet someone." Lancelot said. "I want you to meet Colin."

Lancelot tugged his hand, and he turned around, plastering his best smile. He decided to abandon his search for Will and continue it later. He turned his attention to the man, probably a boring politician or businessman from somewhere god knows where, but he never expected _him._ The familiar face of the blonde haired boy suddenly became an oncoming train draining Merlin's blood out of his body. The ground was swallowing him whole.

"Colin…I want you to meet Prince Arthur, my cousin."

 _Shit._


	14. Fallout

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

FALLOUT

 **I.**

Brick by brick it fell on top of Arthur's head as he realized that Colin wasn't what he imagined in his mind. No, it was far off from who he was staring at. Actually, his imagination was very, very far. It was like a thousand light years away from the planet where he lived in. _Yes, that seemed to be the right distance._

Arthur always imagined Colin to be opulent-looking and has blonde hair since he knew Lancelot liked them blonde. He also expected him to be a bit tall and around his cousin's age. Add that with a bit of attitude but he's pretty sure the guy staring in front of him has that covered. But, he never expected that blonde Colin boy with elegant shoes with a royal title above his head would be none other than the raven haired boy, Merlin. The boy he kissed less than twenty-four hours ago and he, figuratively speaking, left at the altar without an apology.

"Oh, fuck." He cursed under his breath.

He suddenly realized what he said and Arthur looked around with his eyes if anyone has caught him saying it. But that didn't matter. He has a serious issue at hand. Well, right in front of him actually.

He regained his composure from shock and horror in a matter of seconds (although it looked like no one noticed his expression) to a more genuine one. It was a very fake genuine expression, interpreted by anyone in a one-mile radius that he's faking it for his life. He also added a bit of welcoming smile to the boy in front of him. But after that, he didn't know what would happen next. Merlin could swing at him with a slap and that would be embarrassing to the press. Or Merlin might throw that glass on his hand and sprayed it all over his face. Still, it would be embarrassing. Merlin could beat the shit out of him. It would hurt and would be very, very, very embarrassing for his title and ego. He just didn't know which one would happen first. It would probably be all of the above.

On the other hand, the introduction has left Merlin's blood dry. He froze to death like a deer on headlights and it seemed his brain malfunctioned, its circuitry up in knots, because who he was seeing right now couldn't be the guy he talked to less than a day ago and the man who he called an acquaintance and possibly a friend. His eyes widened and he started to sweat. He wanted to move his legs as far away from Prince as possible. _Wait, Prince…? Prince Arthur. Was that some kind of clue?_

For seventeen years of his existence, Merlin never actually felt so stupid and so dumb that he really wanted to hit his head on a concrete wall. That and probably punch the hell out of the guy in front of him. But he didn't want to be in prison for that. "Prince", or in this case Arthur, was considered part of a royal family and he's pretty sure it was illegal to hit the future king. Heck, he'll probably get the death penalty. Coupled with the fact that both countries despise each other.

 _How come I hadn't seen it before?_ Basically, all the evidence he needed was just staring him right at his face. Although he was in denial to admit it was true. Perfect Blonde hair, the smell of money, the posh accent, and the magazine Freya brought to school three weeks ago with his picture on the front cover and them flaunting it right at his face during lunch hour. Oh, he was an idiot for not seeing it. Now, all he felt was betrayal and shame for getting that 2100 score in the SATs. If he's that smart enough he could have seen this coming since page one! No, _the freaking prologue_.

"Colin, are you alright?" Lancelot asked him with a look of concern. He put his right hand on his shoulders and it sent shivers down Merlin's spine.

Merlin snapped out of his thoughts and stared back at him. "Yes…I'm perfectly fine." He flashed him with a smile. "Perfectly fine. Like a sitting frog."

"Like a frog? I'm sorry but I'm not familiar with that idiom."

"Oh, its because I made it up!" Merlin laughed, a cackle that emanated throughout the hall, sending a few glares here and there around them, though they went back to their conversation.

"Are you sure you're okay? It looked like you've seen a ghost!"

"So you're the famous Colin my cousin has been talking about." Arthur interrupted extending a hand toward him. His fingers were slightly trembling.

 _Play it cool, Arthur. You're a Prince. Acting is required in that role. Use your damn skills._ He thought nervously. He tried to control his hands from shaking as he waited for Merlin to shake his. He heard his voice tremble a little bit but he hoped no one has noticed. But he knew someone did because Lancelot eyed him with curiousity. Arthur was expecting that blow that might leave a mark on his face and hopefully won't be there permanently. But, that never happened. Instead, Merlin took a deep breath, smiled, and shook his hand.

"And you're the famous Prince Arthur, the future king. I've heard a lot of stories about you from your… _huge_ groupies." Merlin said, and Lancelot laughed beside him. At first, Merlin did not know how to react. Should he touch his hand? Feel the same fingers that touched his days ago as they ran across Times Square?

"Well, I like to call them as admirers." He hissed. "They're good people."

"Ah. Well they certainly do."

Arthur wanted to know the truth. One moment ago he was walking down the streets of New York like he lived in the place for many years and he turned out to be a royal prince like him? What about those talks of oppositions and dislikes of Prince Arthur, of him? And what about his views on the royal family? Did he knew all along that he was a royal prince and that he was Prince Arthur, and that everything was a practical joke on him these past few days? Because if he was, this whole charade was a terrible thing to do to a person.

Of course, it made sense now. All people are the same just like around him. Merlin could be just another fan boy who wanted to get close to him and spend time with him and befriend him. He would try to win his heart over and feel for him. Later on, he'll ask for favors. Yes, he was just like the others. And now, he played a trick, a clever trick, masquerading as a royal prince to Lancelot so that he could be at this event? No, Arthur now knew the whole truth. Merlin's a fraud. And he was a fool for believing in his lies.

Arthur's anger seethed and bubbled inside him. He wanted to drag Merlin to a corner and get some answers. But what if what he's thinking right now was true all along that he was made a fool by a guy, and possibly some acquaintances, as a practical joke and released it to the media? It would be embarrassing and he'll probably not leave the palace for the rest of his life. _Come to think of it, it has all Morgause da Silva around it!_ He thought.

Questions kept on swirling around Arthur's head and he might pass out right there when suddenly, Percival came up between the two of them. "Lancelot. Arthur." He greeted them coolly, putting an arm around Merlin. The boy winced a little.

"Ah, Percival. How come you never introduced us to your cousin before?" Lancelot asked as he handed him and Merlin a glass of wine from a server that just passed by.

Percival glanced at Merlin for a quick second. _Cousin?_ He did not thought about that. He answered nonchalantly, "Well yes, he's a distant cousin of mine. He…lives here, in New York. I apologize if I haven't' introduce you to him. He's not around much." Percival let out a nervous laugh as he patted Merlin at the back. The force sent Merlin forward almost spilling his drink in the process. "Oh, sorry."

When Arthur saw Percival and Merlin interact with one another lifted up an unanswered question out of his shoulders. Merlin did indeed lived here in the city but he's a royal? Did he still know who he was before they introduced themselves for the first time?

"Well, politics isn't really my thing. So my mother and I stayed away from the royal life and lived here." Merlin chimed in, taking a sip of his wine. It was his first alcohol. He saw on TV how it helped on occasion, and he certainly need one right now. He didn't like how it burned in his throat and he almost choked trying to gulp it down. "Woah, this is fucking strong, pardon my language."

"What do you expect? It's red Amarone. 2008." Arthur answered, pursing his lips and glaring at him.

"Well, I'm not a wine connoisseur." Merlin winked at him, he did not know why he did that, but it made sense. Arthur was dissing him, so he took another sip of his glass, expecting what would happen when it met his taste buds, and it went in smoothly this time. "It's good."

Silence fell around them. Lancelot's eyes shifted from Merlin then to Arthur, before letting out a few coughs and laughed. "That explains why we never bump into you throughout these years." He said, changing the subject.

"I'm never really into the party scene." Merlin answered.

"Well, Percival, I was just introducing Colin to…"

"Colin?" Percival interrupted him confused. Merlin stared at him intently warning him to take the hint. "Oh, right! Yes! Colin is my cousin!" Percival let out another nervous laugh and patted Merlin at the shoulder again, this time spilling half the drink on the floor. "Oh, we'll have that cleaned by one of the servers."

"You seemed to have forgotten his name!" Lancelot joked.

"Oh please, we joke with each other all the time. Right Merlin?" He patted Merlin on the back again, harder this time, knocking the air out of his lungs.

Merlin laughed it off but it didn't help the awkward situation. He grabbed Percival's wrist and dug his nails into them while laughing and smiling. The boy winced but he did not try to show it. He dug deeper. "You know Percy, I'm not one of your target practices and by the way, have you seen Will? I think he's a little drunk." Merlin notified him.

"I had Barabbas take care of that. He's drinking coffee by now."

"Who's Will?" Lancelot asked curiously.

"Will's my best friend." Merlin answered right away. He mentally slapped his head. He should have said boyfriend then that may take the heat off his back. He knew Lancelot was interested in him. The chance slipped away. He couldn't help but feel flatter though that a handsome man like Lancelot has his eyes on him. _Well, he is cute_ , he thought.

"Oh." Lancelot noticed Arthur hasn't moved his lips yet and moved closer beside him. "My cousin here barely spoke a word since you two met! He's usually talkative around people. He kept asking about you by the way."

"There you are!" A familiar voice suddenly reached Arthur's ears. The annoying and familiar look of a blonde haired woman popped right in front of him wrapping her freaky arms around his own neck. Vivian now imprisoned him. "I've been looking all over for you, you little rascal."

Lancelot snaked his arm away from Arthur's shoulder and moved a couple of feet away from the two.

"Hello, Vivian. There you are!" Arthur said trying to pry himself away from her grip without looking obvious.

"Oh, by the way, father have been looking everywhere for you Percival." She said, still not letting go of Arthur. "And you too, Merlin." She added.

Percival looked at Vivian intently and pinched her on the back where no one could see. She yelped but she hid it quickly by moving in for a kiss on Arthur. Arthur's face contorted into a grimace and Lancelot couldn't hide his giggles and had to turn around to laugh. Then, Lancelot took Merlin by the arm and dragged them a little farther away from the group.

"Merlin?"

"It's my first name. Colin's my second."

"Oh. Lovely name." Lancelot smiled. He cast his eyes on Arthur. "So, you know Arthur then."

Merlin did not know how to answer. But looking into Lancelot's eyes, he knew that the boy realized who he was. "Yeah. For a few days now."

Lancelot's eyes dropped, as if a huge weight dropped on his shoulders. "Well, I can't imagine how you must be feeling at the moment. Awkward? Goosebumps?"

Merlin chuckled, the first genuine giggle he has since meeting the old prat. "Yeah, its awkward." He looked at Percival who was standing right beside him, shifting his eyes between all of them, feeling like his brain was about to explode. Merlin continued, "Well, it's been nice talking to you gentlemen, and I have to go." Merlin stopped himself and glanced at Percival and corrected himself. "Excuse me, _we_ have to go."

He pulled himself away from the small circle leaving Lancelot and Arthur with the blonde devil and grabbing Percival in the process.

"What the hell is going on?" Percival asked out of ear shot from everyone.

"I can explain."

 **II.**

The two men walked to a corner unseen by everyone. Percival's brain was swirling with questions and he was afraid they're about to explode right out of his skull.

"Look, I know Arthur knew you."

"You what?" Merlin asked in surprise and he almost raised his voice and loosing the grip of his glass but he successfully caught it before it hit the floor.

"Shh! Elyan told me about it that you two know each other. And I was about to warn you not to meet him for he'll know you are a prince!"

Merlin rolled his eyes in frustration. "You know, you could have warned me when I'm in my house!"

Percival stopped himself for a moment to think. "Well, if I told you then you wouldn't come…"

"Oh for Christ sake, of course I won't!" He yelled, upset at his brother's selfishness.

"Then that would be bad because father was expecting you…"

"And if you have warned me then this wouldn't have happened."

Percival paused again to think. Merlin's reasons were contradicting his. "Well, that is actually true. Well I also knew that Arthur was also using a fake identity but I didn't want to hurt your feelings. From what I heard you two are friends. And you knew Lancelot?"

Merlin sighed in frustration. This night was getting more complicated. "Yes. I met him in a bookstore. I think he knows what's going on too. Christ! And first of all, he is not my friend! I am more angry and frustrated and very upset that Prince, damn it, _Arthur_ lied to me!"

Merlin mentally stomped his feet and walked toward the door that said "Exit" when Percival grabbed his arm and stopped him from his tracks. "Where the hell are you going? Father is that way." he pointed at the other direction to a table where the King was sitting next to Queen Catrina.

"To the neon signed door that says, Exit. Can't royals read?"

"No, I failed in kindergarten after I fired a teacher for teaching me words. But seriously, you're not going anywhere." He fired back.

"You're sarcasm amazes me but it won't stop me. I have two, perfectly good pair of legs that I train three times a week in gym class, and I'm not afraid to use them if I have to. Good night." Merlin turned around and continued walking toward the door. "I won't enjoy the night here if I stay in proximity with a dollop head."

"I don't know what's going between the two of you but it would really help if you could at least pretend to enjoy the evening." Percival tried to reason with him to no avail. "You won't just leave Will here, won't you?"

"No, I'll be waiting in the car while Elyan or Barabbas grab him. Plus, I don't even know why I'm here! Like Avalon doesn't even need me! You're the heir! You're the future king! I'm perfectly out of the picture already! So, let me go!"

"I won't! I want to rule the kingdom with you. You're my own blood! No laws around our land said I'll be the only one ruling a kingdom. I could rule it with you or even with our father!"

"You're logic of monarchy amazes me!" Merlin rolled his eyes. "Rule it with your future family."

"But Merlin, you are my family."

"I'm not the only one, Percy. You have Balinor. And Vivian and Catrina."

"I don't give a shit about the last two."

"They're still family. And you'll have a wife and kids, _heirs_ , as a matter of fact. We can still see each other. I'll visit you, you visit me. I think this is how it should work."

The two men were nearing the door and in the act of desperation, Percival swiftly moved his body in front of Merlin, blocking it. Merlin tried to pull his brother away from it but the brutish man was a lot stronger than he was.

"Please, Merlin. Do this for Father. He's…he's not well."

Merlin stopped his struggle. "What do you mean?"

Percival cast his eyes down and sighed. "I'll let father discuss it with you. Don't let him know I told you. I think he'd rather share it with you in his own time."

One of the reasons Merlin wanted to come to this event was for him and his biological father to at least bond. His mother wanted him to be here to enjoy an evening with him. It would surely be a betrayal if he left the party, which wasn't even starting yet, without meeting him. Balinor would think his own son just stood him up. And to think that he might be sick…

"Okay fine! I'll stay."

"Great! Look, I won't let Arthur near you if you want."

"I think that would be a good idea."

"What are big brothers for?"

 **III.**

"I've never seen you this elegant Morgause!" a man in a white suit greeted her from behind.

"Jones! My friend! It's good to see you! How is your husband?"

"Oh, he's here and there. He couldn't make it tonight unfortunately." He answered as he took a sip of his champagne.

"I feel sorry to hear that. Ben would miss a whole lot of things tonight!"

Jones looked at her as he realized Morgause's mood. "What's this? You're being nice and glowing. Both sides I have never seen in one night for a long time."

"Oh Jones, I'll take that as a compliment."

Valiant Johnson walked up to her with two champagne in hand and handed one to her. "Could I speak to you in private?" he said.

Morgause nodded her head and smiled. She said goodbye to Jones and kissed him in both of cheeks and he did the same. As Jones wandered off out of Morgause's radar, she rolled his eyes as she wiped her cheeks with the palm of her hands in disgust.

"Why is that man even invited? You know he just wed an old rich fool for the money? I heard his cock was basically falling off. Can't imagine how that would please him." She gossiped. "Anyway, what do you want? Can't you see I'm busy socializing?"

Valiant smiled brightly at her trying hard not to laugh. "I just thought you might want to see this and make your night amazing."

"Hmm. Indulge me."

Valiant swiftly turned around as he pointed his finger to a group of people from the opposite side of the room. It took a second for Morgause to realize Valiant was pointing at none other than Prince Arthur shaking hands with another person she hasn't seen or met before which peaked her curiosity.

"So? What about him?"

"Well, you might be interested on the guy in front of him."

"Why should I?"

"He's the guy Arthur snogged with."

Morgause turned her head to Valiant and raised her eyebrow. "And he's in the same room with Arthur?" Morgause crossed her arms and smirked. She tried to think whether she had seen the boy before but she came up empty-handed. She saw him walking away from the group with Percival, of all people, which was strange. And they looked like they were having an argument. This raven haired boy definitely has some higher ties with these people. Something wasn't right. There's one thing Morgause was really good at and that was spotting a really great story. It was no secret to everyone. That's why she was very successful in the first place.

"Do you know him?" She asked.

"All I know about him was his address and that he is an "acquaintance" of Arthur." He informed her. "And that he wears glasses."

"He lives here in New York? Rich?"

"Middle-class."

Morgause rolled her eyes. "Well, he doesn't look like an ordinary lad to me. Something's funny."

"Morgause, if there's anything that I can do I will…"

"Oh, there is." She interrupted as she pulled him to a corner. "There's been a slight change of our plans for tonight."

"And that is?" Valiant asked as his anticipation was slowly killing him inside.

"I want you to find out who this person is. I smell huge headlines for the magazine."

"You think so?"

"Oh, Valiant. I don't think it. I just know."

 **IV.**

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this year's World Gala. It has been a pleasure to have you all gathered here tonight. All the great minds and leaders of our world both in politics, sports and entertainment in one place to help those who are in dire need of our help. Amazing charities, silent charity auctions and performances are once again the highlight of tonight's four hour event…" The announcer introduced the program with ease on the podium with four hundred guests watching at him.

Arthur wasn't really listening to his boring speeches because he heard it before for fifteen years since the age of four. He never missed this kind of event out of respect for his father who would surely beat him up if he didn't come. But he was distracted by the raven haired boy sitting right across the table from him. Of course, they were meant to sit on a table across the room but King Balinor and his own father had a "brilliant" idea on sitting on the same table since he's going to marry their daughter and it was a good strategy and show other people that Avalon and the UK were now in good terms. All parties accepted the offer. Well, some of them were forced to. Now, he has found himself staring at the person he desperately needed to talk to.

After the introduction of some of the program, the food was served. He found himself more annoyed by Vivian's crusade on touching every part of his body and he didn't quite understand why she's still clinging on his arm when they're basically going to eat their meal. Wouldn't it be hard on her to eat her own food? Because he knew she's right handed.

Percival and Morgana were busy raping each other with their eyes. Or at least that's how he interpreted it because it was just sickening and he would gladly hurl on Vivian if it came to that. Actually, he would love to do that so she could stop latching her arm around him. Looking around the room, he found his parents' talk with the Emrys and Gaius quite boring. It all consisted of politics and other stuff. Lancelot was talking to Merlin about something and his drunken friend was a pity to see because he looked quite confused on which fork to use. Poor soul.

Their table was the biggest out of the bunch. It was meant to be seated for ten but with a group of twelve and two kings demanding it, well, the staff was forced to add a little bit of space.

On the other side of the table, Merlin tried to distract his mind away from the boy across from him. He surprisingly liked the company of Lancelot with his conversation and it distracted him. He didn't touch his food because that would mean he needed to face forward and he'll be eye to eye with the prince. He could look down but he thought that would be rude talking to someone like that.

"So, Colin is it?" Ygraine asked across the table. The whole Emrys stopped whatever they were doing and stared at her.

"Uh yes! He's one of my third cousins!" Percival interrupted while looking at the whole table signaling his father to lower his heart rate.

"My nephew here talks quite a lot about you." Ygraine teased.

Lancelot blushed. "Your majesty, please, you embarrass me." He unsuccessfully tried to hide it, though Merlin thought it was cute and actually made him smile.

"Oh please! If I want to embarrass you I would tell a particular story from your childhood, which you so desperately hide from your dates." She jested, which rushed more blood into his cheeks. "How come we never met you?"

"Oh I live here in New York, your majesty." Merlin answered politely.

"Call me Ygraine."

"Colin…my nephew lives here. They're not quite involved with royal business." Balinor joined in the conversation. "Since I'm here in the city, I decided to invite him to join us here for tonight along with his good friend, Will." After hearing his name, Will snapped his attention back at the table and smiled at everyone, though he did not know where to look and he messed up his timing and ended up smiling at Arthur longer than the others. The other boy flinched on his seat.

"It seemed my family parallel's yours, my friend. My son have a gay cousin and your son have a gay cousin!" Uther joked which earned a chuckle or two from the table.

"Well, they are happy people." Balinor interjected.

"True, True. But my nephew has a few women that kept him company as well."

"Uncle please, my love life does not interest anyone in this table." Lancelot said.

"Lancelot, you're aunt and I was merely conspiring against you to make you embarrass in front of good Colin here!" his joke has earned laughter throughout the table. He added, "You too should get married! Like Vivian and Arthur here." Uther whispered the last part, looking behind him, to the table closer to theirs. No one seemed to know. "Not official yet to the public though so let's all keep it between us."

Merlin swore that he saw Arthur took a dirty look on Uther before stuffing his mouth with food, quietly sulking on his seat with Vivian clutching his arm. When the adults started talking about another political issue, Will leaned on Merlin and asked him if he did something wrong that made the king call out his name but Merlin just assured him not to worry about it. He nodded and returned to drinking his coffee.

"So Colin, or Merlin, which name do you prefer?" Arthur asked with a sarcastic tone.

Merlin stared at him for a second, his blood boiling with irritation, simply smiled at him and answered. "Merlin. Just call me Merlin. _Prince_ …Arthur." He intentionally said the word with venom that he hoped would poison him. Literally.

Percival was looking at them back and forth and he was scared that Merlin was going to lunge at Arthur and pounce on him to death. Lancelot looked at his cousin with a smirk on his face.

"How long have you lived here, Merlin?" Morgana asked.

"Oh, for quite a while. I spent my early years living in a small farming town before I moved in here."

"Do you live near central park?" She asked again.

Merlin pursed his lips for a second trying hard not to remember _that_ night. "Yes. It's beautiful. But it does have its… _cons_. It can sometimes be a place for unwanted memories."

"Really?" Morgana asked intrigued.

"What unwanted memories would that be?" Arthur asked with annoyance as he dropped his fork on his plate with a loud clank.

"There was this friend, a boy…"

"Like always." Lancelot chuckled.

"And we kissed there after a long day of hanging out and having fun. But he left without even explaining to me why he did that."

"Oh, that's rude of him!" Morgana commented. "But the boy likes you."

Merlin took one glance at Arthur, his cheeks blushing, and he quickly glanced down when their eyes met. "Well, I don't know."

"What if the boy was scared?" Arthur interrupted.

"Scared of what exactly?"

"Well, what if that boy has a, let's say, a future ahead of him? You know, I don't mean that I know the boy really well but just that maybe he was confused or he didn't really wanted to do it."

"Then why would he kiss me on the lips if he didn't want to?" Merlin flared as Morgana nodded her head in agreement.

"Maybe it was in the heat of a moment and he wasn't thinking clearly and he probably regretted it and was deeply sorry."

"If that's the case, why wouldn't he at least call me and apologize since he kissed me first?"

"Maybe he's batteries are dead."

"He has twenty-four hours to charge it."

"I quite agree on that one. It's really rude and unromantic." Vivian joined in. "One time, I saw this drama on BBC, this is exactly what happened on that episode. Such a tragedy."

"Arthur, I think you're losing this argument." Lancelot chuckled. "You seemed to know a lot about this boy." he added.

"I…I'm just rhetorically speaking."

"What was the boy's name?" Morgana asked.

"His name's Prince. Now, come to think of it, it's a pretty stupid name." Merlin giggled.

Morgana did the same. "Who would name their kids Prince?"

"The singer Prince was the only one that fits that name, god bless his soul." Catrina added.

Merlin hadn't realized that everyone in the table was into the discussion but he was too busy fuming over Arthur in front of him. He wanted to jump on the table, grab the stupid butter knife he's using and stab him on the eyes, so that he could finally see how utterly stupid he was for leaving him on that park hanging like a mad dog, unable to process what the fuck just happened. He was angry. He was so close on doing it when he felt Gaius's hand on his. He calmed down a bit.

"Yes, exactly. Who named their child, Prince?" Vivian laughed.

"I think it's a lovely name." Arthur said and obviously irritated and it didn't help hearing Vivian's voice right next to his ears.

"Well if you put it like that brother, the child would be traumatized!" Morgana joked and the group laughed except for him. Uther turned his head toward the young crowd and asked what they were talking about which Lancelot successfully answered by stirring him away from the conversation. He returned to a conversation about sports with Gaius and Balinor.

"So, Merlin, where is he now?" Lancelot asked.

"I don't know. Probably busy being a prat." The group once again laughed and Arthur grew more and more irritated and the comment was the last blow to his fuse.

With a calm voice and a smile, Prince Arthur excused himself to the bathroom with everyone not noticing his flaming head from being humiliated. All except for one Merlin Emrys who was smirking at him enjoying the moment of defeating the king of all prats.

 **V.**

 _Thirty minutes earlier…_

Fifteen monitors covered one side of the whole room with cameras on every corner of the building, trying to spot anyone that might sneak inside the property. In one screen, the guests started to eat their meal as a band played music. Unfortunately, all of the cameras did not have a microphone. Everyone was having fun. All except for the three security guards watching them stuck with Chinese takeout.

"This is the worst Chow Mein ever." George claimed slamming his food on the table with no intention of picking it up again for another bite.

"My Beef Broccoli doesn't taste like Beef Broccoli." Willford, the youngest of the crowd, said.

"Do you think we could sneak out there and grab that delicious looking desert no one's eating on the table?" Bill asked who didn't really touch his food for the past twenty minutes.

"Sorry, we can't leave our post remember? Although I would love to have that cookie." George reminded him.

The three of them has been sitting around the room bored out of their mind for the past three hours since they had to set up everything and made sure everything is in order. George has been in this business for quite a long time and he has been teaching Willford the technical parts of the job but the kid didn't seemed to grasp that whole part in his mind yet. He only started three months ago and the kid has a lot to learn. Bill was new to the post. He was originally from England but the bigger boss from high up the food chain relocated him for this specific job.

"So Bill, you're like the secret service of royals or something?" Willford asked.

"You could say that."

"So what do you do?"

Bill stared at him, making him uncomfortable. "It's classified."

"Oh. You know I really want to be a special agent. Its badass, man."

"Believe me, when you turn thirty, you'll regret it."

"All those adventures and getting the pretty ladies…"

"We're not really spies Willford. We're just bodyguards." He corrected him. He threw his food down the garbage bin as he realized he could never eat it.

"There's at least a hundred trained professional and deadly bodyguards littered around the property Willford. I'm sure one of them will give you a lesson or two." George joked.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. Willford quickly stood up and answered it. "Who is it?" He asked behind the door.

"I'm asked to send a message to the security team." A young voice of a woman was heard from the other side. Willford peeked on the peephole. "It's safe." He said to the others who was expecting trouble from the doors.

He opened the door to reveal a beautiful woman in a black suit, black hair tied up in a bun, sporting bright red lips and green eyes. Willford couldn't help but eye her up and down. "Boys, Here's a message." She handed the envelope to Willford and was starting to walk away when George stopped her.

"From whom?" George asked.

"I don't know. You need to read it."

The woman left the room in a hurry as Willford closed the door. He immediately opened the envelope and read it.

"What does it say?" Bill asked to Willford who has his back on him.

"Oh, nothing." He said as he read the letter. The boy began to approach the locker across the room, punching in the codes that he memorized three months ago.

"What are you doing behind there?" George asked. "We're not supposed to touch that."

Willford rapidly turned around with a silenced pistol pointed at him. "Like I said, just nothing."

With a pull of a trigger, a bullet penetrated Bill's abdomen three times and he immediately collapsed on the floor with a loud thud. George turned around from the commotion and saw Bill dead on the ground and Willford coming over toward him with a gun in his hand.

"What are you doing?!" George screamed as he scrambled for the alarm button.

A bullet entered his shoulder and his heart. He dropped dead on the floor spilling his Chow Mein all over him. Willford stood over the two bodies, shooting them again on the head without to make sure they were dead. And when the violence has cleared, he took off the silencer on the gun and walked toward the door to unlock it. Two men in the same security suit entered the room and along with them was the woman not a minute ago.

"I got the message." Willford stated to them.

"Good. Everything's according to plan. Cenred would be proud," she said.

They started dragging the two lifeless bodies into a storage closet at the corner of the room as the woman walked over to the monitor and watched the screens. She pushed one of the buttons to camera 7, zooming in onto a particular table right at the middle of the hall.

It was the Pendragons.


	15. Defiance

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

DEFIANCE

 **I.**

It was not Arthur's intention to go to the bathroom when he left the table. He needed fresh air. He knew that Merlin was trying to provoke him and it's clear that he hated him. He felt the same way, too. Arthur hastily walked toward the doors that led to the building's huge garden. He glanced behind his back to Oswald and anther bodyguard and motioned at them to stop following him. They quickly realized that Arthur wanted some privacy. When the two bodyguards turned their backs and guard the door, Arthur slipped out of the building and sat on a bench that overlooked the entire garden.

Right at the center of it was a medium-sized marbled fountain that seemed to be the heart of the area. A wooden gazebo was perfectly placed at a corner near a small man-made pond. Red and white roses filled the place with serenity and harmony and the hedges were perfectly trimmed as well as the green grass. The lamppost created a peaceful mood throughout the garden and it's just the perfect spot for him to be at peace for a moment. He looked up the night sky and was disappointed he didn't see any stars. He rolled his eyes realizing he was in New York after all with its abundant light and air pollution. _Ah, the city that never sleep,_ he thought. London was like this as well. He missed laying down on the field watching the stars on the countryside.

He closed his eyes and sunk deeper on his seat. "God, kill me now." He murmured.

"I could make that easier for you." A woman spoke to him out of thin air.

He jolted right out of his thoughts and came face to face with none other than the woman who was determined to make his day and night even worse.

"Morgause! How lovely to see you!" He said with a scornful tone.

"Oh, Arthur. I know you're not really pleased to see me."

"You know me too well." Arthur was more annoyed when she cackled that really irritated everyone who heard it.

Morgause, without hesitation, sat beside him as she offered him a glass of champagne. He was about to accept it when he hesitated and smelled something was wrong. He quickly pulled back his hand inside his pockets.

"No, thank you. The law of this country says I'm underage and I'll respect that," he said politely.

"It was not my intention to trick you and put it for tomorrow's headlines." She took a large gulp of her other glass and put it on the ground. "So, how's your night?"

"Morgause, I'm here for charity and not an exclusive interview from you."

"I can see you're having a really bad night and I'm just here to talk to you! I am your _friend_ after all. And what's wrong with that?"

"Everything." He growled. "Now, I'd like to be at peace. Or would you rather let my bodyguards drag you away like usual?"

She pursed her lips in anger but she quickly changed her expression and smiled at him. "It is obvious I'm not welcomed in your presence, your highness. Maybe you prefer other hands…or lips."

"What are you talking about?"

Morgause did not answer, only a ghostly smile crept on her lips. "Well, if I'm going to be dragged away somewhere seedy, I can't really ruin a beautiful dress. It's a pleasure talking to you, your highness."

Arthur watched her intently as she sauntered away from him without looking back. When she was out of his sight, he leaned his head back again and looked up the night sky.

"Thank you."

 **II.**

Merlin examined the entire hall with curiosity. Two tables away from him sat the dean of Harvard chatting with other CEO's and he was pretty sure one of who he was talking to was a big name in the NFL. Right beside their table is the ambassador of South Korea in a casual discussion about politics with a senator from South Carolina. She was busy discussing about North Korea's continued aggression with a few other senators. Merlin was not big on politics so the things they said were lost in translation into his brain. He said a few hello and small greetings to a woman who owned a charity organization and he also met a little girl who was a daughter of some military official who was bored out of her mind.

Will has been nagging him to walk with him to the table where Gwyneth Paltrow was seated with her husband but Merlin was too intimidated by her to move his own feet. It seemed his best friend has overcome the headaches a bit and it looked like he's enjoying the whole night. He envied him.

The guests had taken the dance floor dancing to jazz music played by a famous band from Harlem. King Uther and his wife got up and danced and Merlin couldn't help but smile at the two as they both swayed to the upbeat music.

Balinor was no dancer and everyone in the family knew that really well. But every time he was forced to do it whether it would be a state event or a gala like this, he seemed to have that air of confidence that trumped his lack of moves and everyone in the room were captivated by how he held his head up high and danced as far as Merlin had observed.

Catrina was not pleased when Balinor asked her to dance with him but since he was the king, she gladly accepted his hand and the two of them joined Uther and Ygraine on the dance floor. Gaius was amused by the whole situation since Catrina wasn't a graceful dancer. When he saw Will walked out of the table to get some desert, Gaius moved to his seat beside his nephew.

"Is everything okay, Merlin?" He asked.

"Oh, uncle! I'm sorry I didn't get to have time to speak to you all weekend!" He hugged him tightly.

"Now, you don't want them all suspicious!" He warned with a joke. "But, I was busy attending to other state duties. My job haVE a lot of burden."

"I'm sorry, uncle."

"Don't be! I love my job! But we need to be careful of your identity. I heard about Arthur." He whispered on his ear. "And Lancelot."

Lancelot took Vivian to dance since she was upset Arthur never came back from his bathroom break. He was gone for a good thirty minutes now. Right before he left, he whispered on Merlin's ear that Arthur owe him for this which made him laugh a little. Merlin was a bit disappointed though that Lancelot was leaving him alone on the table because he enjoyed their conversation and he hasn't realized how funny he was. Percival and Morgana were busy chatting at each other and when he did try to listen and join their conversation, it became too awkward for him to break their flirtatious eyes directed at each other so he opted out of the conversation and was left alone.

"I don't think it matters now. Everyone knows."

"Nonsense. We can still salvage this. There's a lot of power that comes when two countries sit next to you, easy to spin. We'll have plenty of time tomorrow. I've got a lot of gifts for my favorite nephew."

Merlin laughed at Gaius's compliment. "Uncle, you know I'm your only nephew."

"Oh, right." He laughed. He noticed the elephant ring wrapped around Merlin's finger so comfortably it made him smile. "The ring suits you by the way."

"Oh, this? I don't know, Gaius. It's not hitting me yet."

"You know, Balinor is really glad you came. I've never seen him smile like that." He turned around and glanced at Balinor's direction where he now danced with Ygraine with all smiles. Merlin felt guilty for even thinking of leaving the place and he felt ashamed. "He wasn't really talkative of his feelings but, I know when he's really happy about something. And seeing you with that ring made his day. You know, he was so nervous making that ring for you when Hunith was still pregnant."

"I was thinking about leaving without seeing him an hour ago." He admitted.

"Being nervous is human nature, Merlin."

He was nervous. But, Merlin couldn't put a finger on it when he felt disappointed on not being introduced as his son. He understood the whole situation of not revealing his true identity but he quite liked his father. He wanted to spend time with him because he seemed like a fun guy to be around with. And now here came Arthur occupying his mind. This was supposed to be the day he could hang out with his real father before he went back to Avalon.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned around and saw Balinor standing over him with a smile on his face. He sat down beside him on Lancelot's seat.

"I'll leave you two alone." Gaius excused himself and drag Will with him when he was about to approach the table.

A few seconds later, he spoke to break their silence. "I see you wore the ring." He said trying to create a conversation.

"I did."

"It suits you."

"That was what Gaius said."

They chuckled a little bit but the awkwardness didn't subside. Finally, Merlin couldn't hold on to his thoughts about the crazy things going on around tonight.

"I'm sorry I blew my cover!" He apologized.

"It seemed everyone believed your story so there's nothing to worry about." He assured him.

"But what if someone noticed my identity and it's revealed to everyone?"

"I'm not going to let that happen. Freedom is choice and I'm going to let you have it. I want this option for you."

Merlin smiled at his assurance and nodded in agreement. "Elyan told me all about the legend behind this ring."

"Did he now? Well, I can see you learning one thing about our nation's history." He chuckled.

"He told me every three year old knew about it so…but, it's a wonderful story."

Balinor thought for a second and quickly got up from his seat. "Come with me, son." He offered his hand to him and Merlin hesitated for a moment but accepted it.

The two men walked toward where the auction and charities were held. Merlin didn't know what they're doing in there but Balinor assured him that it was something important and it related to their country's history.

The room was filled with paintings and objects for the auction that will benefit the charity associated with them. Beside each of them was a small stand table with a sheet of paper with written names of those who wanted to own it. Some of the walls were covered with a poster and information of a charity and a small stand table in front of it for generous people to donate.

Balinor led him to an identical table with an elephant on its poster; A particular elephant that closely resembled the image on his ring.

"Since 1901 and many generations later, our family dedicated itself to protect the elephants from poachers and illegal hunting, especially when the ivory trade was at its peak. Most of them are already threatened in the wild and since we have a long history with them, we protect them." Balinor informed him.

"Are you saying the story is true?"

"Some legends are exaggerated a bit. But when our kingdom was invaded a long time ago, the king did use the elephants to trump all the invaders. They were outmatched. And it's been a tradition to help them back for giving us a chance to rule again. It is symbolic." Balinor fished something out of his pocket and gave Merlin a pen with another similar image of an elephant engraved on it.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I did this with Percival and Vivian when they were young. And I want it to do this with you. Write your name on that piece of paper, and we'll donate our money to it."

"But, I don't really have a huge amount of cash in my pockets right now. I don't even have a job. Actually, I was going to look one yesterday when I suddenly learned I'm a-"

"Put beside your name a hundred thousand." Balinor interrupted him.

"Oh, that's quite nice of…A hundred thousand dollars?!" Merlin yelped.

"No…Euros."

"But that's a lot!"

"But it will definitely help them. Don't worry too much. We still need to donate on charities for world hunger and poverty. I hear the Make a Wish foundation is here somewhere."

"I don't want to be responsible for that large amount of money. I'm not responsible at all. You know, I killed my goldfish when I was young. It traumatized me!"

Balinor put his hand on Merlin's shoulder and looked him on the eye. "Merlin, you're a prince. And a prince's job is to help. That kindness would send ripples throughout history and that would make you a better person by helping others live. Writing your name down to a cause would warm your heart."

Merlin nodded as he understood what he's father was telling him. He slowly moved toward the table and wrote his name down quickly putting the amount of money beside it. Merlin can't help but feel his heart warm up to it and he smiled at the thought of helping these animals who were dying in the wild. He took a quick look at Balinor beamed with pride.

They went to a few pieces of art that Balinor wanted for the castle and some artifacts and objects, a few looked ancient, and a couple of charities. But Balinor never put his name down on it. It was Merlin who did it. At least twenty minutes has passed and Merlin was happy he got to spend his time with his father doing some good work. A couple of people were giving them odd looks possibly because they didn't know who Merlin was. He thought if he was in their shoes, he would also be intrigued by this young man writing down on several papers throwing money on it, asking who this rich person could be. _Well, just a kid who woke up one morning with a hundred million price tag over his head_ , he they finished, they left the room, walking back to the hall.

"Son, do you know what you just did?" Balinor asked. Merlin patiently waited for his father's answer. "You just took your first step on what it meant to be a royal prince."

 **IV.**

The night progressed in a spectacular fashion. Two hours has passed since Merlin arrived at the gala and the hall was filled with laughter and conversation. People had been enjoying themselves with the company of other great minds and famous people but he felt like a sore thumb. It didn't help when Arthur popped back onto the table once in a while and he couldn't look him on the eyes. As he sat on his seat, Arthur approached him from behind and dropped a piece of paper on the floor. He walked off again and vanished somewhere. He checked the whole table if anyone noticed it. When he thought that no one saw it, he picked it up and read it beneath the table.

" _Garden. Three minutes. Let's talk",_ the letter said.

Merlin crumpled the paper and put it in his pocket. He acted like he just dropped his fork when a server came by to pick up his finished plate. He said a small thank you when he noticed a holster sticking out of him. He looked back and forth from the server's face and the holster but he didn't notice him looking at it. He caught a glimpse of the server's name tag that said _'Willford'_. He thought he was probably part of the security team around the place so he put it at the back of his mind. As three minutes passed, Merlin excused himself from his conversation with Morgana and walked out of the table. He glanced back when Morgana found another topic to talk about with Vivian. Will shot him a weird look and he motioned to him that he'll be back.

As Merlin approached the garden, he noticed that it was empty. He stepped outside from the warm temperature of the building when a cold breeze sent shivers all over his body as it swift past through him. He looked for Arthur taking him a couple minutes to find him in a wooden gazebo sitting on a bench overlooking the pond.

He stopped at his tracks and contemplated whether to talk to him or not. He saw Arthur picked up a couple of stones on the ground and threw it on the pond skipping on the surface. Merlin decided to walk back into the building when Arthur called out for him.

"So, Merlin or Colin?" He asked with annoyance as he got up and leaned on a post. "Gee, I don't know which one it is. Heck, I don't know which one was real about what you said to me yesterday."

Merlin snickered under his breath and crossed his arms as he walked forward to the gazebo. "Both. My name is Merlin Colin Phillips. I live here in New York. I like apples and mangoes, and I hate people who lie."

"Is that supposed to be addressed to me?"

"Well, I don't know, Prince or Arthur? I guess both. But then again, everything I learned about you was a lie."

"Speak for yourself! You are also a prince like me! Now, who's the liar? You're posing as some New Yorker and trying to trick me? Is that was what's going on?" He shouted with anger. "Are you in with this charade with Morgause?"

"Morgause? Fuck off." Merlin rolled his eyes from the accusation. "It is hard to explain, okay?"

"Don't give me that bullshit."

"Hey!" Merlin swiftly moved forward face to face on him. "You don't get to say that to me! You put this charade these past few days and I thought you were a friend! A nice guy and…" _you made me like you and enjoy your company and I'm upset that you kissed me! But I'm more upset that I liked it!_ Merlin paused as he pursed his lips together trying to hold off his thoughts.

"So do I! Then I learned you're a prince? All that talk about oh, I hate royals and money," he started mocking him. He added, "Is this some joke you played with Percival on me? Or are there others as well?"

"You know what I feel right now? I feel betrayed by you. I feel so stupid I didn't recognize you and fooling myself these past couple of days. I should have seen in at the beginning?"

"Then, why didn't you?"

Merlin paused. "You know why." Arthur only shrugged his shoulders, and Merlin continued, "I didn't see who you are because I don't care."

Arthur scoffed. "Liar," he said under his breath.

"I am not! Ugh, you are such a prat! And telling me I lied about what I told you about me? Dude! I never lied to you! That's the truth."

"What about this? Why are you here and everyone introducing you as this prince?"

"You really want to know the truth?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then answer me this, why did you kiss me last night?"

"I…I can't…It's hard to explain. Damn, Merlin, don't change the subject and turn this on me!" He looked down on his feet trying to avoid eye contact with the raven haired boy.

"Oh, don't give me that bullshit" Merlin shot back. "Why?"

"Well, you did it first!"

"I kissed you on the cheek! I thought that's what British people or Europeans do!"

Arthur laughed. "No! Of course not! I'm not French! Or even Italian."

"Then, my bad!" Merlin said sarcastically as he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "That still doesn't explain why you kissed me ON THE LIPS!"

"I thought you liked me." Arthur admitted.

Merlin froze at the accusation. It really hit close to home and he just wanted to run away from the boy as far away as possible. But, Merlin couldn't help but notice Arthur's cheeks turning red. He was embarrassed. "And that gave you a _reason_ to kiss me?"

"Then, I guess I like you too." Arthur confessed but he quickly realized what he said and regretted it. He turned his back away from Merlin and walked toward the bench and sat there leaving the other boy standing in total shock.

Merlin couldn't believe his ears. He was about to say something to Arthur when a hand grabbed him from behind and put a handkerchief over his nose. He inhaled it and regretted it when he realized what it was. He smelled it once in chemistry class. He struggled but was too late. Before he passed out, Arthur tried to fight someone from behind but a big man in a black suit quickly overpowered him hitting him on the head and knocking him out.

"We acquired the seal." He heard a man talk on the radio. The man walked toward him as he studied his face. "Who's this?" He asked to the guy behind him. Merlin noticed his name tag and it was the guy who got his plate a few minutes ago. Willford.

"I don't know. He looks rich enough," the other man said. "Expensive shoes, great suit, looks like its from Paul Smith…and the fact that he's talking to a prince. They seem to know each other."

"We are told to only get the prince." Willford scolded him. "Kill him."

"Brother, everyone in the gala is rich. More money, everyone is happy. Let's see what Cenred would do."

Willford pulled out a knife and handed it over to the man. "If he was here, he'd say, kill him. So...kill him."

Merlin tried to listen to what they were saying but he was slipping into darkness.

 **V.**

Elyan showed his ID to the security guard guarding the stairs toward the control room. He has no idea where Merlin was and he could tell Percival was worried what happened to him. He suspected he was with Arthur but he couldn't find the other prince as well. The guard cleared him to continue. He nodded a thank you to him and climbed the stairs.

The gala was coming to a close. Elyan was eager to get home and sat on a comfortable chair eating Dim Sum or some other Asian food and watched the television. He was tired standing for three hours straight and both his knees and feet were aching.

He reached the top of the stairs and walked on the long corridor turning to a corner where he has to approach another guard. But, he found it empty. There was supposed to be another guard guarding the entrance toward the control room from what he has heard from the briefing this morning. He stood there for a second looking around if the man has taken a piss or went for food but he would had to call someone to replace him temporarily.

Elyan walked into the corridor, his hand on his holster as he approached the control room door. He tapped three times on the door and a voice answered from the other side. He heard the sound of locks clicking and the door swung open revealing a man in his thirties, clean shaven with cropped hair. The man asked what his business was and Elyan could tell his Russian accent.

"I'm here to look at the cameras in search of someone. He might be here somewhere in the building but I couldn't find him," Elyan said.

"Who are you looking for?" The man asked, looking at him up and down.

Elyan hesitated for a second. "A prince. He may have gone somewhere possibly sneaked out and I intend to find him where he has gone or else I would be hanged." He raised his ID on his face. "I have a clearance to approach the control room."

The man's eyes widen hesitating whether to let him in or not. Elyan glanced behind him and saw another person sitting near the controls, a man in his late forties with a balding head watching at them intently. The man nodded his head and Elyan entered the room. A strong smell overwhelmed him. "What is that smell?" He asked. He could smell blood, a distinct odor he wouldn't forget easily, and a hint of copper and sewage in the air when he noticed a bullet hole on the ground.

The bald man sitting on the chair quickly got up drawing his silenced pistol from his holster. The Russian man behind him tried to get his gun as well but Elyan grabbed his shoulders and swung him in front of him. The bald man pulled the trigger twice, hitting the other man's chest and shoulder. The second bullet pierced through the Russian, hitting Elyan behind him on his right shoulder. He yelped in pain.

He threw the guy toward the shooter as he ran for cover. The body almost knocked the man to the floor. He pushed the body aside as he raised his gun again shooting on the spot where he was hiding.

Elyan pulled his gun and started shooting back. The other man quickly jumped into cover across the room. Someone would here his gunshots. _Great, a back up is needed._ He reached for his radio finding it missing on his belt. He looked around the room and found the radio at the middle of the room. He quickly reached a hand for it but the bald man fired a few mor rounds. _Damn it!_ Elyan noticed a door beside him and he swiftly gave a couple of shots to the other man suppressing him in his cover as he ran for it. He closed the door behind him trying to find the lock from the darkness. There was none.

He reached to the darkness trying to find a switch when he felt a button and pressed it. The lights inside the room flickered as it turned on. It was filled with jackets, shirts and sweaters but underneath him were two bodies on the ground, the blood everywhere. _This was probably the original security team,_ he thought.

He heard the man shuffling from the outside and Elyan quickly dove among the bodies and hid between them for cover. The other man behind the door started shooting, bullets and wooden splinters started flying into the room. A bullet hit the light bulb and the glass exploded into pieces surrounding Elyan into total darkness. One bullet got his leg and he yelped in pain. The man stopped. He had probably heard his cry and thought he had got him. Elyan waited silently with his fingers tightly gripped on the trigger.

The door burst open and Elyan saw the man entered the room cautiously, his gun raised. He pretended to be dead. After a few seconds, the man slowly brought down his weapon and Elyan emerged from the two bodies, raised his gun and pulled the trigger ending the man's life with a bullet to the head.

Elyan tried to get up but his leg was bleeding badly. "Fuck!" He grimaced in pain. He saw his radio on the ground and he crawled toward it trying to warn the others what happened when an explosion rocked the building. It was coming from below.

 **VI.**

The host once again stepped on the podium with a smile on his face ready to end the night. "What an event!" He said which earned him a lot of cheers from the tables. "I'm sure half of you are now drunk tonight with too much champagne or wine like me." He joked as he earned a lot of laughs from the crowd.

Percival looked around the hall. Merlin has been gone for fifteen minutes when he snuck out into the garden. He has instructed Elyan and Barabbas to check it out but the two of them came up to him a while later without news of where he was. He thought that maybe his brother had already left the building but he wouldn't leave Will behind. He realized Arthur was gone too and Morgana was looking for him. He ordered Elyan to go to the control room and maybe looked for Merlin on the cameras. Barabbas went back out into the garden in search of him. As they left, Morgana leaned toward him.

"Have you seen him yet?" She asked in a whisper.

"Not yet. Merlin's gone, too." Percival answered.

He was more concerned whether the two talked and fought. Arthur might not want to show up the table with a bruised face and he thought maybe Merlin didn't want to show up like that, too.

He looked at his father who was now making small glances at Merlin's empty chair with a sad look on his face. He couldn't stand his father looking like that. He could be in the bathroom but Barabbas has already checked in there. Of course, there's a lot of bathrooms around the building but Merlin won't go that far if he ever wanted to go.

The gala was drawing to a close. Percival sent another text message along with twenty-five other ones to Merlin telling him to come back to the table when suddenly a commotion was heard from the stage. He quickly looked up to see what was happening when one of the servers got up on stage shouting something he couldn't understand.

The host was totally confused on what was going on when the man pulled out a gun and shot him. Screams echoed throughout the hall as some of the guests and servers ran out of the hall and into the stairs. Others huddled under the table and some ran to the garden. Three bodyguards lunge at Uther and Ygraine to protect him and another three protected his father and Catrina. Vivian screamed in fright as one of the bodyguards shielded her. Lancelot knelt down and jumped beneath the table as Percival pulled Morgana down under it too. Will was too overwhelmed by what was going on that he froze on his seat.

The host fell off the stage as the other security team drew their weapons out to the man who opened his suit to reveal a bomb strapped on his torso.

In those five seconds of horror, the man screamed at the top of his lungs. "Defiance!"

The men in black shot their guns and it rang on Percival's ears. He could hear screaming all over the hall as Morgana cried beside him. The bomber fell on the floor bleeding not before pushing the button on his hand. A huge blast knocked the air out of Percival's lungs.

The man's body blew up into a thousand pieces, taking half the stage with him. The first five tables in front of him were caught in the blast and the four bodyguards standing beside it were knocked off the ground landing halfway across the room. They weren't moving. The windows shattered and the piercing screams of the guests echoed throughout the building.

Percival felt a hand grabbed his shoulders and pulled him out of the table. He looked up and saw his father shouting at him but he couldn't discern what he was saying. He looked back to the stage and saw a couple of bodies on the floor and several wounded. The next thing he knew, he was running along the corridors followed by his bodyguards with Morgana in tow. All he felt was fear. Fear of not knowing where his brother was and if he was safe. His heart was racing rapidly and he couldn't remember how he got out of the building. Multiple guests had already flooded the streets. Countless police force had escorted them as far away from the scene as possible.

Percival desperately wanted to get back inside and find his brother. But, he knew that wouldn't be an option.

* * *

 **A/N** : _Another Monday, another post! Thanks for all of your support! Without you guys, I won't have the drive to write this world. There's still more stories to tell, and I've mapped out at least 30-40 chapters of content! And no, I won't be splitting this story up into a series of books! This is it :)_

 _I can't wait to share them all with you! As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!_


	16. Kidnapped

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

KIDNAPPED

 **I.**

It was dark. Merlin couldn't see anything but he felt the ground moving. He knew it was a vehicle as it went to an abrupt hard left and he could hear the hum of the engine beneath his feet. From the countless movies he saw, he was probably at the back of a van. _It's always the van_.

 _How long was I out?_ He might be driving out to nowhere or outside the city already. He felt his wrist and feet were tied down tightly. His arms were numb. He suddenly realized Arthur was with him in the gazebo. He frantically looked around when streaks of light went in from the windows realizing a sack of bag over his head. _My family would be worried by now!_ He tried to scream for help but it was no use. His mouth was taped.

A dark silhouette suddenly towered over him.

"Hey, boss, this one's awake," it said.

"Knock him out." A female voice spoke. "He should be dead already." She has a British accent.

"Come on, Sophia. Use your brain. He's oozing with money."

"We don't do this for money, Mike. I said, knock him out."

The other man, Mike, sighed. "Okay, okay, boss."

Mike knelt down beside him and hit him with something on his head. Then, it was dark again.

Merlin slipped back into consciousness with a painful headache. He was pulled out of a pleasant dream, a dream where he and Balinor walked the isle again inside the gala building signing up charities while a dancing dollar bill was behind them. It was a funny dream, but he never forgot how Balinor smiled at each signing. He was proud of him.

The vehicle now moved slowly as it turned right. He heard the squeak of a gate opening. _How long was I out again?_ He heard Arthur kicking near him but he couldn't understand what he was saying. They were all muffled noises.

Merlin didn't dare try to make a sound. He knew what the man would do if he knew he was awake again. He liked to keep his head intact without serious damage. He loved his brain too much. He tried to recall what happened after he and Arthur had that fight at the gazebo but he could not recall any details when the men came and knocked them out.

"Shut up!" A man bellowed near him. He heard a loud smack and Arthur cried out, then he didn't hear from him again.

A few minutes later, the car stopped abruptly. Merlin heard voices outside the car and the doors opened. Strong arms grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him out of the vehicle. Merlin kicked on thin air as the man laughed. His brain kept telling him not to move. It was the smartest thing to do and not draw attention to yourself. But his body was different. It wanted to escape. It wanted to be far away from this place.

"This one's feisty!" The man said in a Scottish accent.

"Who is this?" A man in a deep voice asked.

"A lad with the prince, sir. He might be worth some money."

"This one's expendable. We'll kill him in front of the cameras when we film our demands. Let it be known to the world we mean business."

Merlin wasn't sure if he heard him correctly. He tried to scream. He didn't want to die. He was too young and he has all his future planned! He struggled to untie himself but his wrist started to burn painfully. The man pulled the sack off his head. A man in his late thirties stared right back at him. His dark brown eyes burned as he eyed him up and down, sauntering forward and lightly touching Merlin's chin, raising it up to his eye level. Merlin flinched back and the man chuckled. He motioned for one of his goons to remove the tape on his mouth. Merlin was shaking.

"I do not recognize your face."

"Okay, there must be a mistake. I am a nobody! There's a reason why you don't recognize my face!"

"I'll gladly listen to what that reason might be."

"I just told you. I am no one."

"Hardly anyone in the gala is a nobody, boy."

Arthur started laughing beside him. Merlin turned around and saw him bloodied, a gash was on his forehead but the bleeding already stopped. He looked much worse than he was.

"Cenred! Planning to kill me again?"

"They say third time is a charm…your highness." He crouched down in front of Arthur. "It's been a long time since I've seen your face."

Arthur pulled his head back, and then spit right on Cenred's face, and laughed, "Ah! There it is. I knew something was missing on your face."

Cenred paused for a moment, pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his face before slapping Arthur with the back of his hand. From where Merlin stood, he felt how painful it was from the piercing sound, like a high pitched cry. "Cheeky. Very cheeky," Cenred said.

"I didn't miss that one."

"There's more of that to come. Bring them inside!" He ordered his men.

A beautiful blonde woman went up to him and kissed him passionately on the lips. "We made it, baby. Now our voices can be heard loud and clear."

The eerie silence that surrounded Merlin was unusual, gone were the bustle of the city, replaced by crickets and the brooding forest that bordered a large, white three story farmhouse in front of him. He was out on the countryside. _How are they ever going to find us here?_ He thought.

The men dragged Merlin and Arthur into the large house. They tied them back again and put a sack over their heads. He heard many voices inside all talking in different languages. A few people whistled and taunted them as they passed until the men lead them to a staircase. Merlin didn't know how many steps he took because he was sure he's already at the top of the building by now when the men turned them around and untied them and pulled the sacks off of their heads. Suddenly, Merlin felt a kick on his stomach and he stumbled into a damp ground.

"Princess…we'll get that nice coat o' yours!" one of the men, the big stocky one, pointed at Arthur's coat. Arthur obliged before he was pushed into the cell as the man tried it on. Two of them left the room back to the stairs while the big stocky man remained in guard.

"This is crazy! They're planning on killing me!" Merlin panicked.

"Oh, calm down! They are not going to kill you." Arthur tried to assure him.

"I wasn't talking to you! Even if the situation's dire, we're not friends."

"You're talking to me right now. Besides, Cenred would think twice once he learned you're connected to the royal family of Avalon. He always wanted a war between Avalon and Britain. He also wanted a war with him and the government."

"Who the fuck is that guy?"

"Cenred. He's an anarchist, I tell you, leader of a terror group called Defiance known in my country and around the world. He has been harassing my family for ages. They're like the ISIS of Europe." Arthur calmly sat down on a chair at a corner seemingly relaxed at the situation. "He's a fool, I tell you. Too much mood swings and want for power 'Hear my mouth move!' blah, blah, blah…I literally tuned him out every time he talked to me. You get used to it once you spend more time with him."

"How can you be so calm?" Merlin shouted.

"Cenred tried to kidnapped, murder or ransom me twice now. Once during my ninth birthday and my fifteenth age when I was about to finally lose my virginity. I hated him for that. Not once did he ever succeed because, what can I say, my security team always rescued me. He always fails. Now all we have to do is sit back and relax…and wait till they arrive."

"And how are they supposed to find us? What if this time, it's different?" Merlin said in a whisper, so that the big stocky guy won't hear them.

Arthur grinned brightly, and whispered, "I have a tracker." He whistled a tune that Merlin didn't recognize as he reached down into his pocket. Suddenly, Arthur's expression changed from cheerful to horror as he checked his pockets multiple times.

"Fuck."

"What? Why did you say fuck? Because saying fuck means we're fucked…in this situation."

Arthur walked toward the steel bars and stared at the big stocky man sitting near the doorway listening to his iPod.

"The tracker was in my coat."

Merlin was pretty sure his soul just flew out of earth that instant.

 **II.**

 _Arcadia Apartments,_

 _The Royal Family of Avalon Residence,_

 _6 hours later…_

Upon arriving at the building, Hunith Phillips pulled George toward the elevator like a bullet train. At the middle of her sleep, when she thought Merlin was going to sleep at his father's place for the night, a vague call by Percival got her out of bed. The words still rang in her ears. Percival spoke of an explosion in the gala and that there were wounded. The entire TV news station was reporting the unprecedented attack on the gala, and reporting that there might be as high as 18 people killed. _My Merlin, I hope you are safe_.

Percival called to meet him in their residence. She grabbed George out of bed and covered her night gown with a comfortable long coat and a pair of rubber shoes. She didn't bother putting on anything or even a shower. On her way out to the residence, she had trouble hailing a cab and there were a lot of traffic at three in the morning. She saw a few cabs that were empty passing her by. Angry, Hunith walked at the middle of the street and caught a young Armenian cab driver off guard and almost hit her. He started to get out of the vehicle when Hunith drew a couple of hundred dollar bills and threw it on his hands, telling him he'll add another hundred if the man would take him to Arcadia in less than fifteen minutes. The man happily agreed and stepped on it. He made it with three minutes left on the clock and Hunith gave him everything as a thank you before pulling George into the building.

Barabbas waited for them near the elevator and he took the couple with him up to the penthouse. As they arrived, Percival greeted them. Before he could utter a word, Hunith cut him off.

"Where is my son? Where's Merlin?" She noticed he wasn't with them.

Gaius moved forward and embraced her. "Follow us."

A lot of people moved around the building shuffling somewhere to another room like hyenas. She saw a couple of police officers talking to someone inside the sitting room. Gaius led her up the stairs and Hunith held George's hand all the way up to the second floor. As they reached the top, Hunith didn't expect to see Uther coming out of the first door. _What is he doing here?_ Uther nodded at her and continued down the stairs apparently not recognizing the former would-be queen of Avalon. She was grateful for that. Gaius went into the room where Uther walked out of.

It was a spacious room built like an office. Two large sofas faced each other, some people occupied it. From across the room was a large window overlooking New York. It was dark outside. The first person Hunith saw was Balinor standing in the gloom beside the window staring out into the distance. A blonde woman dressed in a dark blue kasper suit was talking to him but it seemed he wasn't paying attention.

"Hunith?" A woman called out across the room. Catrina walked up to her, eying her curiously. "Well, it's been years!" Catrina drew her arms out and embraced her. It was forced.

Balinor snapped out of his thoughts and stared at her. His legs started moving and he moved his arms around her in an embrace.

"It is good to see you, Hunith."

Hunith caught a glimpse of George pursing his lips and she quickly wiggled out of the embrace and introduced George to him. There was a cold air hanging between the two and it seemed only Catrina was delighted enough to meet him. Uther walked into the room confused who the other people were.

"Uther, this is Hunith."

He leaned in and kissed her cheeks in greeting. "It is nice to see you. Although we only met twice many years ago, I have known you. You're son is a good lad."

 _Son? How did he…?_ Hunith was sure Merlin told him about keeping his identity hidden. She turned to Balinor.

"I've told the Pendragons who Merlin was; privately of course. No one outside still knew who he was. They've agreed to keep it a secret. I like to keep it hidden as long as it takes given the circumstances…"

"What circumstances? Has something happened to my son?"

"Both of our sons," Uther said.

Hunith felt her heart jumped. The ground started to swallow her down. She leaned against her husband who led her to the sofa.

"What happened to him?"

Gaius called out a man from the other room. A man in his forties went inside and sat down across from her. "My name's Carl Nichols, I'm with the FBI. The prince and you're son has been abducted approximately 9:05 PM…eighteen minutes before an explosive detonated inside the building. A CCTV caught four men knocking them off before dragging them into a van."

"Did you find them? I'm sure you can find them with the plate of the van."

"No ma'am. We've tried but the license plate was stolen four days ago. The fact that someone hacked and put a virus into all the CCTV cameras all across the island, we couldn't find them. We couldn't see any footage from 9:10 PM till midnight. That's almost three hours without an eye. They could be anywhere by now, but they couldn't have gone far. We've put roadblocks throughout the metropolitan area."

Hunith didn't remember when she decided to cry but she did. George wrapped his arm around her with soothing words while Gaius held her hand but it didn't help calming her down.

"You are his love ones and we wanted to tell you that we will do whatever we can to find him. We are working with both the British and Avalonian government to bring them back, along with the full support of the US government." He turned and looked at the others in the room.

"Are there any news for the past hour, agent? Ransom?" Gaius asked.

"Or has my son triggered his tracking device?" Uther cut in.

"We have not heard anything. If we do, we will contact all of you immediately."

"I apologize, Hunith," Uther said. "It's our fault. This is the work of Cenred, I knew it. He's been coming after us for years. And my son…he probably lost the thing."

"We are not sure of that yet, your majesty. But we will do whatever we can." Nichols took another sympathetic look at Hunith before leaving the room. Percival followed him.

George excused himself out of the room for a bathroom break and Balinor sat beside her.

"Everything would all be fine, Hunith. The Pendragons would be staying here with us. A couple of hours ago, someone tipped the media that Prince Arthur was kidnapped and they're hounding the hotel so I invited them here. I also invited the FBI and others in my home as their base. We connected the phone line from the hotel here in case the kidnappers call for their demands. Would you like to take a rest first?" Balinor asked.

"No, I wouldn't rest until I know my son is safe," Hunith said stubbornly.

"Our son." Balinor corrected. "I also won't rest until our son is safe."

Hunith smiled at him. "Thank you. Please, Balinor, find him."

George came back and Balinor excused himself to talk to Agent Nichols. A dark haired girl who called herself Gwen offered Hunith coffee and she gladly accepted.

 **III.**

Arthur Pendragon didn't know what to do. His saving grace was far out of his reach and now he's stuck with the only person he didn't want to be around with. Mostly because he was uncomfortable and the fact that he wanted to kiss him when he saw in his blue eyes how scared he was. He wanted to tell him it all would be fine…but they hate each other right now. He hated him too. He even sat far from him as possible and the other boy did the same.

"You know, all this situation does is waiting for the inevitable, something like your head being cut off or blown to bits for Cenred's and his hooligan's entertainment." A woman giggled beside him.

He quickly turned his head around and found a familiar face looking back at him.

"Dame Judi Dench? What are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm here because I'm inside your head, idiot. I'm your subconscious." She sat comfortably on the single bed inside the cell dressed in a purple cocktail dress with a white overcoat. "It is a bit chilly and dark in this cell. Surely they can accommodate something nicer before your execution."

"Wait, my subconscious is a woman?"

"No, sometimes my face changed to George Clooney or Sandra Bullock. On Thursdays it changes to Graham Norton. Now, he's the funny one." She giggled again before staring at Merlin. "That boy is something. Why don't you try talking to him?"

"What are you? My grandmother?" He laughed.

"No, but would you like me to hit you on the head? That boy is going to die unless you do something."

"I'm not James Bond. By the way, I love you in those movies. You are terrific."

Judi blushed. "Well, thank you! It is dreadful to shoot all those action scenes…"

"And you died…"

"Spoilers!"

"My bad. Okay, Cenred will not harm him. He will-"

"Kill him the moment you don't do something." She interrupted. "Would you bet on that thought than mine? A subconscious is always right. I'm always right."

"What am I going to do then?"

"You are a prince. I have seen you fight and shoot and I can say you are a best soldier. Aren't you going to the air force once you finished University? Use the skills you've learned from those self-defense classes you're father put you through. I'm sure you can think of something useful. Say anything that would save his life, perhaps?"

"But, how? The tracker's on Fudgy-face, and there's no hope for rescue." He stared at the man sitting outside the cell reading a magazine. He had called him fudgy as a nickname. The past hour, he taunted him several times trying to let him inside the cell so he could make a jump on him but the man only pulled out his long stick taser three times and tased him. He got hit twice. The other one hit Merlin instead. He apologized multiple times but the raven haired boy won't have any of it.

"Let me give you some sound advice…wake the fuck up, princess." Her voice sounded haunting to his ears as if some unseen force controlled her tongue. It wasn't her normal voice. It was deep.

"What?"

"I said…wake the fuck up!"

Then, Arthur woke up face to face with Fudgy smiling at him with his rotting yellow teeth. He was about to jump on him and wrestle him down and get the tracker but he looked past behind him and saw Cenred already tying Merlin up.

"Wake up, your highness. The camera is ready for both of you."

 _Great, it's Show time._

 **IV.**

They put the sack again back on their heads as they lead them out of the cell. This time, the pain of being punched and kicked washed away from Arthur's mind. His senses started to elevate and he could smell and hear clearly.

After the second attempt of his life, his father put him through a rigorous training on how to protect himself. He learned how to shoot, use a knife and a sword, and hand to hand combat. A man named Hans Roover, a friend of the family, trained him for four years. He was once a decorated soldier in the British army and a former spook who worked for MI-5. He learned a lot of things from him. After the second attempt to kidnap him, it failed as Arthur escaped from their grips, knocked out a couple of men, and slipped out undetected. He knew they weren't taking any chances on what he might do now. Tied up, he had to rely on his senses.

Cracks of sunlight found its way inside his sack and he could make out twelve men surrounding him with guns on their hands. Big automatic rifles and berettas, as well as a few revolvers and three huge bats. Merlin was in front of him. The floorboards creaked as they walk and he realized they must be in an abandoned property and the cell was only built recently. It was quiet. Too quiet that he could not hear the sound of the city or the roar of cars. He must be out on the countryside.

This was not good. If they made it out this far, the search party would be stretched thin, with no idea where to find him. He could be a hundred miles away by now. They must be driving for about three hours when he reached the house. _We might be a little farther off the city limits but isolated enough that no one would bother looking for us here_ , Arthur thought.

They reached the stairs, each with a step of twenty before stepping into another one. He climbed down three sets. _Three floors, air smells like something rotten, like eggs, and it also smelled like manure. Stone cold walls and a bit worn out, and asbestos in the air…Am I around a farmland?_ He juggled all the theories in his mind. From the sound of the floorboards, it's old. A farmland was a safe bet. Open, and not easy to escape. He remembered the woods that bordered the property. _I have to hide in there. Escape that way_ , he thought. Though, there was an open meadow, and if these people have a sniper rifle, they could easily take a shot at him.

He heard different voices as he passed more men. He counted fifteen voices as they greeted Cenred when he passed. Four of them were women. The air was filled with cigarette smoke and the smell of gun powder. He heard the others fixing their guns. Without Arthur's eyes, he wouldn't forget the sound of a gun being disassembled and reassembled again and again. He feared Cenred was heavily armed. This was difficult than he previously thought.

He heard the humming sound of machines and electronics around him. He caught the noise of the tapping of keyboards and the click of the mouse. _This must be a full operation, their base of some kind._ He lost count of how many men were there. Thirty? Forty? He wasn't sure. This must had taken years to prepare entering the country without being suspected as terrorists or Defiance.

Cenred led them into an open space away from the crowd. The air was a bit fresher and the space more open. He spoke up to Cenred and his voice echoed throughout the space. He smelled flowers.A man suddenly swung a fist for his stomach and Arthur groaned in pain.

"No Talk!" He shouted on his ear with his thick Russian accent.

The men pushed him on the chair and tied him up on its arms and legs. Then, Fudgy pulled the sack off his head and he felt the sun on his face from a broken window. He squint his eyes to adjust from the brightness finding he's in a large solarium connected to the farmhouse. The ceiling was perhaps three stories high above him and was littered with a lot of shrubs, a few trees, and lots of flowers of different kind. It looked like the place has been abandoned for quite a while. Some of the glass panels were broken.

 _Yes, I was right. A farmhouse at the middle of nowhere. Cliché, Cenred, very cliché._

He glanced beside him and found Merlin silent like a ghost, his face as white as snow. The boy felt his stare and looked at him. For the first time in the past twenty-four hours, Merlin has no hate in his eyes. He's frightened. Merlin stared past behind him and he turned around to find a gun strapped on Cenred's belt.

Fudgy set up the camera to face both of them laughing and pointing at Arthur like an idiot. Arthur decided to ignore him. His priority was to keep Merlin out of harm.

"Sophia, darling, would you mind fixing my tie?" Cenred asked to the beautiful blonde woman he saw last night.

Sophia purred and moved seductively in a red dress. "Of course." She kissed him on the lips. Cenred was dressed like he was about to leave for the gala complete with a black tux. He poured himself a glass of wine from the table beside the camera and took a sip and then offered it to both of them.

"No, thank you. I'm tied to a chair. Besides, it might be poisoned." Arthur joked. Cenred laughed annoyingly and Arthur rolled his eyes before Cenred slapped him on the face.

"I've wanted to do that since you made my life a living hell," He said.

"I did?"

"In a way. Trying to catch you is like catching air. It's on my reach but I cannot catch it. Now I did." He walked back to the table and poured himself another one. "Like the setting? A nice touch for our little video project."

"Don't be so sure about that. And getting drunk this early is not a good idea. You'll lose your nerve."

"I'm celebrating. This time I won." He raised his glass to him. His attention suddenly went to Merlin. "Why so sullen my sweet boy? Have I said something you displease?"

Merlin was about to answer when Arthur cut him off. "He doesn't talk much. He's a bit…reserve."

"Are you scared shitless, boy?" Cenred approached Merlin and knelt in front of him. Merlin did not answer but Arthur saw him shaking. Merlin avoided Cenred's gaze. The man continued, "For the rest of the night, I was so curious of who you are. I haven't seen you before. You know, the authorities have been looking for you as well. They searched hard for someone that is a nobody. Of course they never said your name or how important you are unlike good Arthur here but it made me curious! So, what is your name? Who are you?"

Merlin's eyes widen. Arthur could see it. _What did Judi Dench say…oh yeah, say anything. Anything!_ "He's a prince!"

Cenred turned to him then back to Merlin again. "A prince? If he is, I would have known about it. I relish myself in politics."

"Well, a lesser prince, then! He's a prince of Avalon."

Arthur looked at the other men. He could see the hunger of money in their eyes. They landed two princes with a price tag worthy of billions of euros, enough money for them to retire on their private island or a private army. _Add a country there as well_. But, Cenred seemed unconvinced.

"A prince of Avalon is no lesser prince, Arthur. Now, I'm still waiting for that name." He turned his attention to the raven haired boy.

"M…Me-Merlin." The boy stuttered.

"Is what he said true?" Cenred asked. Merlin nodded without a second thought.

"Scared of me, Merlin?"

Merlin fixed his eyes on him. "Um…I don't know. It depends, I guess."

Cenred laughed loudly, his voice echoed throughout the building. "I like this boy! So funny!" The other men joined in his laughter.

"No it's true!" Arthur shouted above the cacophony of laughs from the other men. "He's the cousin of Percival, heir to the Avalon throne. He's the nephew of King Balinor, please, I beg you, spare his life and we would give you all the money we have combined. That would make you one of the richest people on earth. I promise you. Maybe even richer than Bill Gates!"

"Cousin? Are you sure about that?" Cenred mocked.

"I am sure! Merlin!" He turned to the raven haired boy. "Tell him. Tell him you're their family. Tell the truth."

"Yes! Tell the truth, Merlin." Cenred pulled his revolver out of his holster. "Tell the truth for dear Arthur here. He seems out of loop." Cenred knelt again in front of Merlin.

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked, confused.

"Let me tell you this, Arthur. One thing the Avalonian royal family distinguished themselves from other royal houses is because of one particular object. Isn't that right, Merlin?" Cenred poked Merlin's chest with the tip of his gun playfully.

The boy didn't answer.

Cenred sighed. "What Merlin's saying is it's true. That object is called the Elephant Royale from a famous Avalonian fairy tale. It is a very special ring because it varies from ruler to ruler. Each of their family have different set of rings when given but with the same embroidered symbol of the elephant. Following, Arthur?"

"I know what it is. What's the point of this history charade?"

Cenred ignored him. "What the public thought is that everyone in the royal family has the same ring. That is incorrect. The ring now under Balinor's rule is different. The elephant was embroidered differently. It was more pronounced, the arrow more curved. I've never seen one up close until now."

"What are you talking about?"

Cenred gazed at Merlin touching the ring on his finger. "You are never Balinor's nephew, were you? I saw this ring on your finger on Princess Vivian two years past…this ring was only given to Balinor's children and his wife per tradition of Avalon. You, Merlin, are Balinor's son."

 _Lies. He's spitting lies._ Arthur thought. Then, he looked at Merlin's expression and the lies now sound like the truth.

"There's been a change of plans, boys! It seemed we have two seals in our hands." Cenred signaled for the cameras to be turned on. "Tell me, how did you become Balinor's son? I have not heard of you before."

"It's a secret," Merlin said, but it was almost a whisper.

"Well, Merlin," Cenred was almost a few inches away from his face, smirking at him. "I love secrets. Pray, do tell before I kill you."

"Kill me?"

"Oh, it would be so tragic! Balinor seeing you dead instead of dear Arthur here. That would put a drastic change on the rumors of peace between the UK and Avalon. Let's pretend I'm a priest and you're confessing your sins to me."

"I don't think that's how priests work." Arthur chimed in.

Cenred pointed the revolver at him. "I wasn't talking to you." Arthur shut his mouth and Cenred focused his attention to Merlin again. "Now, care to share?"

Merlin glared at him intensely. He was sweating profusely, and he was about to mumble something out of his lips, when Arthur saw the unexpected happen.

With Cenred crouched in front of him, Merlin's right foot swung up, and he kicked Cenred right on the balls.

Cenred's cries were like music to Arthur's ears.


	17. Catch Me

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

CATCH ME

 **I.**

 _What the heck? He was going to kill me!_ Merlin regretted kicking Cenred between his legs because now, he's gagged up and had a bag over his head.

"You're going to get your time, boy. Just wait and see. You're are going to regret this." Cenred seethed between curses and grunts. "Turn on the fucking camera, damn it, and let's get this over with."

"Still walking, Cenred?" Arthur asked, laughing.

Merlin heard Cenred paused, then started marching to where Arthur was before hearing a loud crack. Arthur groaned from the hit. "I guess it stung then." Arthur mumbled. Through the small holes from Merlin's bag, he saw two men put a gag and bag over Arthur's mouth and head.

"Quiet! Now, let's do this."

The camera clicked from the distance. "Good to go, boss."

Cenred cleared his throat before he roared, "Hear my demands or else these two behind me will die. As you may know, we are completely responsible for the attack on The Gala tonight, and our brothers' deaths are to be celebrated and embraced, for they cut the cloth of a system that oppresses its people under the guise of Communism, Democracy, or even Monarchy, treating people as not equal under the law. We are Defiance and we fight against this system for true freedom. Freedom is the only way where we are all treated as brothers and sisters." Cenred turned to them, tied to a chair. He slowly approached where Arthur sat. "The prince is a false leader just like his father. And the rich," He pointed to Merlin, "takes the money away from those in dire need."

Cenred grabbed a stick from behind and swung it, hitting Arthur's stomach. Arthur yelped from the pain and toppled over his seat. Fudgy grabbed hold of him and carried him back to the chair.

"These are our demands: One, for the lives of Prince Arthur and…this lovely prince who would be so tragic to ruin such a nice and peaceful relationship between two nations," Hearing Cenred address him made Merlin shudder on his seat. Cenred continued, "The price would be pardon for Robert Mercia, my father, Imprisoned for twenty years for the crimes for believing what the world should be. Among this is the price of five hundred million Euros to an offshore account I have kindly sent to both his majesties." Cenred smiled wickedly. "Last, I want all these in less than three hours or I will kill both of these men."

Merlin started thrashing on his seat, and he managed to kick Cenred on the ankle, yearning a yelp from the other man. Arthur was thrashing beside him as well, trying to shout something out of his gagged mouth.

"And to motivate all of you…" A gun cocked right beside Merlin's ear, and within a second, a shot rang out. "I will send a message within the hour mark. Three hours. Or this boy bleeds to death."

Merlin felt a warm rush pooling out of his leg.

 **II.**

Percival replayed the video over and over again. He couldn't take his eyes off the television screen. He had seen it twelve times now and Morgana forcibly grabbed the remote control out of his grasp pulling him out of his thoughts. The princess took out the batteries and threw the remote control across the room. It had been a stressful day for everyone.

"I hope Arthur's okay." Morgana mused.

"He always finds a way, cousin." Lancelot hopped onto the bed face down and sighed.

Percival once again stared at the blank screen. He could still remember Cenred's face talking to the camera as Merlin and Arthur wriggled and thrashed in the background trying to escape to no avail. He couldn't bear looking at the screen but instead listened to the ransom the man has given.

An hour ago, an anonymous tape was sent to the local news station containing the ransom of the two princes. Now it was broadcasted throughout the world at exactly 8:47 AM, per the video's instruction. _It was the time Cenred's father was arrested,_ Lancelot told him. _His father was the leader of Defiance once and when he was gone, he took over_.

 _He knows about Merlin._ From what Percival gathered from the video, Cenred was hinting at the boy's identity, and there was an inkling feeling behind his head that Merlin might be compromised. _The ring! It has to be._

After seeing the video, time stood still for a moment as everyone tried to process what just happened. Then the room erupted into a full blown heated argument.

"They shot Merlin!" Balinor bellowed.

"They want their leader! They are an anarchist group! Not Freedom fighters!" Uther raged on.

"That is my son, Uther. Both our sons are there." Balinor said.

"You don't know who Robert Mercia is, Balinor. He crippled my father and caused his death and almost got me. He is a monster. Letting him go will not only endanger my country but others as well. Robert is a terrorist."

"My son is hurt! He shot him!" Balinor raged on. This silenced Uther.

"How about Arthur?" Morgana entered the room and apparently heard of everything.

"Morgana, you're supposed to be at your roo-"

"Arthur is my brother. I think we should do what he said! Especially Merlin! He'll bleed to death within the hour if we don't do anything."

Percival knew this would be a heated argument so he quickly moved his legs forward and grabbed Morgana by the arm and led her out of the room. Lancelot followed behind them.

"Percy, my brother…"

"It is not for us to handle it. Let the FBI and the others sort this out. We can't contribute anything but wait." He reasoned with her.

"Well, aren't you worried about Merlin? He's hurt!"

"Of course I am!" Percival snapped. He paused and continued, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay. It's okay." Morgana rubbed his back as they sat down on the sofa.

 _It's all my fault. I dragged him to this world. It's all my doing. I hurt Merlin_ , Percival thought. He began to sob.

"We can't just sit here and do nothing." Morgana mumbled as she nestled her cheeks on Percival's chest.

"He's right. We can't do anything. I know Arthur. And he's the kind of person who won't give up easily. Remember, this happened to him twice and twice he escaped with a few dead bodies on his wake. He's a survivor, Morgana. Trust him. He'll get out and Uther knows it too." Lancelot said. "And Percival, with Arthur around, Merlin will be fine."

Defeated, Morgana slowly slid to the floor and sobbed. Percival gently led her back to her room and watched the television again. For the first time, Percival was surprised Vivian helped to calm Morgana down bringing her a cup of hot tea. Although, she still treated him poorly brushing the things he asked for her. _Still a bitch._

It has been an hour and no word came from downstairs on what action they should take. They believed they were still in the city. A full lockdown was in effect around the island blocking all roads and bridges in and out of Manhattan. Some businesses closed down after the group made threats of a bomb through their social media accounts, and the streets were almost empty of souls. Local enforcements scoured the whole city for any bombs. News media were in a frenzy trying to figure out who the other person was. _And I hope they never find out. I'm glad Cenred didn't reveal Merlin's identity_ , Percival thought. Balinor only told certain people of Merlin's real identity as most of the local enforcement thought of Merlin as an innocent bystander caught on the kidnapping scheme, and now, based on the video, a prince. Still, he wasn't named on the police report.

Percival got up from the bed and headed toward the window. He opened the blinds and watched the streets below. For the first time, the city that never sleeps slept with one eye open. Today, the island was silent.

"It's haunting, isn't it?" Vivian asked beside him offering a pack of skittles on her hand.

"It is."

"I'm sure Merlin would be fine. I have heard rumors New Yorkers are tough individuals. You worry too much, brother."

"Too much? I believe it's not enough."

 _Three hours. We only have three hours_. Based on Merlin's leg, he didn't even have that much time till he passed out and bleed to death. Percival hoped they could wire that transaction quickly below. _It's not enough. They'll kill them anyway_.

No matter what they do, it was a "lose-lose" situation.

 **III.**

As they were thrown back in the cell, Arthur took off his suit and applied pressure on Merlin's wound, making a makeshift tourniquet from the thick sleeves. "Bullet went in cleanly," Arthur said calmly.

"And that's supposed to be a good thing?" Merlin huffed between gritted teeth as Arthur continued to turn the sleeves and tie the knot around his leg.

"Yes, stupid. Bullet inside, bad, okay?" He said, talking like he was a three year old.

"Okay, okay. Jeez. Is it done yet?"

"Almost." Arthur tied the last knot. "Okay, put your weight on it."

"Are you crazy? It hurts."

"Just to see."

"No!" Merlin sidled at the corner of the cell. "I need to lay down."

Arthur slapped him right across the face. Merlin's head snapped back to the right, and a burning sting flushed through his cheeks. Merlin slapped him back. "What the fuck was that for?"

"Don't you dare pass out on me."

"I am not, idiot. I just…wanted to lie down over there."

"You need to stay awake. Fuck! Why did I even kick him?"

"Because you're stupid, stupid." Arthur chuckled under his breath.

"Oh, don't even laugh about this situation, okay? You, this is all your fault."

"Yeah, blame it all on me. It was you who decided to be a secret prince in the first place. Really, Balinor's your father?"

Merlin did not answer and continued crawling toward the corner. "Just…just leave me be."

Arthur stared at him for a moment and sighed, giving up on having a conversation with him. "Fine. Be that way. Not even a thank you." He mumbled as he approached the other side corner.

"Thank you," Merlin whispered but Arthur ignored it.

A small portable TV sat in front of the cell where Merlin and Arthur were kept. Arthur had seen the news on television, repeatedly watching the ransom video and the threat of bombs littered around the city. It has only been an hour since the broadcast occurred, and if Merlin continued to lose blood, they may not make it on the three hour mark. He couldn't bear watching the screen so he turned his back and faced the wall instead. Fudgy kept on teasing him to look and he would get angry when Merlin would just stick his tongue out in defiance.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you dolly boy!" He teased. He wore Arthur's suit, looking like it was about to rip apart because of how fat he was. It didn't though, surprising Arthur a lot.

Merlin tried to build up the courage to ask who Robert Mercia was. After Cenred gathered them to the old farmhouse, he kept mumbling about his father being freed again and how their whole organization would rise from the ashes. It reminded him of a child who just stumbled into a candy store or a junkie who happened to find a room full of meth. But, Arthur only laughed at him and swore that would never happen. It earned him a punch right on his jaw.

There were a few instances when Arthur and Merlin would glance at each other and quickly look away when they had been caught. A cough there, and a loud sigh here, it was awkward to be stuck with a person Merlin couldn't talk to. He was left with his warm blanket, which Cenred 'kindly' provided them. After a while, Merlin had enough.

"Okay, do you have anything to say to me?" He asked.

"I thought we weren't friends."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "It's obvious you have something on your mind."

"As a matter of fact, I do. Cenred is on a killing spree. He kidnapped me. He triggered a bomb in a building where our family stayed, and he's threatening New York. If I wasn't so stupid I wouldn't have been kidnapped and this would have never happened." He threw his hands up and crawled into a ball at a corner. "Should I be thinking of something else?"

"Well, I thought, me with the-"

"Of you being a prince?" He stood up towering over him. "Merlin, if you're masking your identity out of the public eye, I can understand that. Look at me. I am well known and half the people around the world recognized me. Hell, they would even think of getting my head chopped off. Without a doubt, if I was in your shoes, I would gladly do the same. Look at our situation. This happened because I'm a prince."

"Oh. I just thought you're-"

"Mad? No. Just upset. I don't take it easily when I'm made like a fool. I'm also confused. One day you were an ordinary person, then a cousin of a prince, and now the son of a king? In fact, how did you become Balinor's son?"

Merlin took a deep breath and told him everything. He crawled to where Arthur was, whispering on his ear, telling him the things that happened ever since Percival arrived in New York. He kept one eye on Fudgy at the corner because he did not want him to be hearing any of it. It was uplifting for Merlin to talk about these past crazy days to someone. It was like a huge boulder was lifted off his shoulders and Arthur listened quietly as Merlin told things from the beginning. It took him an hour to tell him all the details and when he was done, he was out of breath. I kept his mind off of the wound on his leg. It did not stung as bad anymore.

"I think my leg is dead," Merlin said.

Arthur studied his face. "You look a little bit pale." He checked the tourniquet once again by prodding his fingers on it. "Seems like it stopped the bleeding. You did not lose a lot of blood."

"Really?" Merlin looked at the sleeves wrapped around his leg. He could hear the squishing of the blood absorbed by the cloth. "It seemed I lost more than that."

Arthur made a face, unreadable to Merlin's hazy eyes. "You'll be fine. Anyway, I can't believe you actually didn't recognize me." Arthur said with a smile.

"I wasn't a fan like my friends." He laughed. "I wonder when I'll see Maggie, Freya and Will again."

"So you are the person my cousin talks a lot about this past few days."

"I guess I am."

"Look, I apologize if I shouted or got angry at you. I was upset. I hate being lied to. It's a peeve of mine. I also don't like lying to people and I apologize for that as well. I guess I have a short-temper. Morgana sometimes calls me out for it. She said I got it from our father."

"This doesn't mean we're on the clear though." Merlin reminded him.

Arthur paused. "I know. But it would be nice if we talk about it unlike last night where we practically blew up at each other. Now that the wake subsided, a civilized conversation would be refreshing. The awkward silence between us…is making me uncomfortable."

Merlin laughed. "Funny thing, I felt the same way."

"So, about Cenred, do you think your father would-"

"He won't. I know my father. He won't release Robert that easily." He bit his lip casting his eyes down on the floor.

"Who is Robert anyway?"

"If you really want to know, thirty years ago, my grandfather was king and he crippled him. It took his life two years later and my father never forgave him for that. Then, we ambushed him. He got arrested and he left a son. He called him his heir. Then one day, when I was all grown up, his son showed up in my school and kidnapped me. My father was…let's just say, I never saw him so determined at that moment my entire life. He'll keep Robert Mercia whether I die or not."

 _Me as well,_ Merlin thought.

"But you are his heir and son." Merlin said, confused. He felt sorry for Arthur on having a father like that. He wondered if Balinor was like that as well. But, he couldn't imagine his father abandoning him. His mother won't let him. "You'll just give up?"

"There's one thing to learn about me, Merlin. I always find a way." He smirked. "My father knows that as well." Merlin fell silent, knowing that he has nothing to say at the matter. If it was his mother in Uther's position, she'd probably release Robert knowing how Hunith would do anything for him. _And I will do anything for her too_.

"Come on, Merlin, keep talking to me," Arthur said.

Merlin chuckled. "I know what you're doing, Arthur. Trying to keep me in conversation so I won't pass out from my leg. I know I'm bleeding out." Merlin coughed, feeling cold all of a sudden.

"Don't worry. I have a plan."

"What plan is that?"

Arthur turned and looked at Fudgy tinkering with the television set. He glanced at Merlin with a nod and the raven haired boy finally realized the kind of man he's dealing with.

"Do you know how to use a gun?" Arthur asked him surprising Merlin.

"Wha-"

"It doesn't matter. It's just point and pull. It's easy. One more thing, have you shot a man before?" Merlin almost fainted from the question. "My thoughts exactly."

For the next half hour, the prince laid out all the plans to Merlin but it all came as a jumble of words that didn't made a single sense into the boy's brain. Kill? Run? Shoot? Hide at this section? Distraction? The prince talked about a lot of stuffs that Merlin asked multiple times about that certain subject. It only annoyed Arthur more.

"You know what, just follow my lead." Arthur gave up and threw his hands on the air.

"Hey, I'm just asking questions that won't get us killed." Merlin complained. "And hello? My leg?"

"Okay, okay, forgot about that part."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "You forgot about my leg?"

Arthur ignored him, and continued, "Okay, our plan…is we improvised. Have you taken acting classes?"

"Yes, in school."

Arthur smiled brightly and patted him on the shoulder. "Good!"

Suddenly, a familiar face popped up on the television screen and the two boys crawled closer and watched Uther talked to the press.

"No," Arthur said under his breath. "Don't do it."

Merlin saw Percival and Balinor at the background along with the mayor of the city. _They looked so tired and jaded. I wonder if my mom is with them._ Merlin thought.

"With great thought of the loss of lives these past two hours, we have decided to meet the demands of these terrorists. The price of five hundred million Euros will be sent out. All these should stop the killing and terror this great city has suffered. We ask these terrorists to release these two men, unharmed. In good faith, we pardoned Robert Mercia in exchange for Prince Arthur's life" Uther looked at the crowd "and the second hostage that will remain unnamed." The crowd erupted in murmurs and questions. _Who is he? Is he a son of a king? Why is he addressed as a prince? What is his family name?_ The reporters shouted. _Media. Always hounding for the scandalous things,_ Merlin thought. Uther paused as he tried to hold his composure.

"To Cenred, if you are watching, we will meet you on the agreed meet-up point within the hour. I am a man of my words. If these two men die, we will take back Robert's pardon and the money we have given you." The King quickly turned back ending the conference as dozens of reporters and journalists swarmed the stage with questions. Mostly about whom the other person was.

"Meet-up point? Does this mean they're releasing us?"

"This changes everything." Arthur murmured.

"What do you mean?"

"Cenred is going to kill us. He already got Robert and he wouldn't need the money because they can raise it anyway."

"Then, why did your father said all that? Does he really want us to die?" Merlin panicked. He thought about a lot of stuffs he did wrong to other people for the past seventeen years. He thought about Will during sixth grade on how he told him the girl he liked didn't like him back when in truth she did. He just told him that because he didn't want Will to get hurt because that girl was a huge bitch. He remembered about how he lied to his mother if he stole her fifty dollars during his freshman year so he could buy a ticket to the prom. All the things he did wrong, even the little things, swirled around his head. _If I die tonight, I'm surely going to hell. If it exists, I could at least go to purgatory. My bad deeds seemed to be on the middle ground…I think._

"My father's giving us a chance to escape. Cenred won't be at the meet-up point in an hour. He'll be here."

"How does that sound like an escape?"

"Punch me." Arthur ordered him.

"Why would I do that?"

"Punch me you fucking sissy."

"What are you doing?"

"I bet you're not a prince at all. I think you made that all up because of how sad you are."

"This isn't funny."

"You are such a liar. You are a huge lying bitch. Gold digger. A Poof. I bet when I kissed you, you liked it so much, you wanted to do it all over again when you slept on your bed." The prince taunted.

Merlin threw him a hard punch on his jaw and he yelped in pain. It felt like a brick and took all the energy Merlin had, and a shot of pain emanated out of his wound. Arthur staggered back dramatically, hitting his head against the wall and toppled over. He pretty much didn't get up, groaning and writhing on the wall. _How dare he say those things about me! I did not fantasize about him! He's so full of himself!_ Guilt overtook him a second later and he quickly tried to help Arthur on his feet but his body was too weak.

Fudgy noticed the commotion and quickly got inside the cell and broke up the fight. Suddenly, Arthur lunged on the man punching him on the face, grabbed his head, and smashed it against the wall.

"Run! Get out!"

Without a beat, Merlin moved his feet quickly to the exit as Fudgy yelped in pain. He was mostly staggering, trying to keep his legs from moving even though every step was like being stabbed by a thousand knives all over his body. He almost tripped over the television set as he ran for the door. He looked back to Arthur who urged him to go on without him. He felt guilty leaving him there. _I'll come back for you, Arthur, with the whole damn army. I promise._

The corridor went from left to right and he didn't know which one to take. He remembered going left when they went out that morning so he took that. The countless days sitting in front of the computer and the lack of exercise made Merlin tired quickly. He never ran like this before. _I'm mostly staggering, almost on the floor_. It led him to another corridor with many doors and an old worn down elevator that hasn't been used for a long time. The building was like a maze. He tried opening the doors to find the stairs but all the first three doors didn't go anywhere.

Three men were passing by and he hid behind a table, waiting for them to pass. He waited for another two minutes, and continued moving again, catching his breath. _My leg. I won't make it. Why am I running anyway? I'm wounded._ But Merlin ignored the thoughts in his head and continued on his way, climbing down the stairs slowly, the creaks he made was like a bullet shooting through his brain. He reached the third floor and heard a few men laughing inside an open room. He counted four of them watching a soccer game and with half a dozen bottles of beers on the table. Merlin sneaked his way past them, tempted to clutch his leg and ease the pain. _I will make it!_ He kept telling himself.

He heard a gunshot above him, from where he came from. _I hope that wasn't Arthur._

He reached the second floor, and from the stomps of feet climbing up the stairs he's approaching, Merlin quickly jumped into an open door, a bathroom, and locked it behind him. _Shit! Where should I go?_ He decided to wait in the room and let them all pass.

"Arthur escaped! He shot Gustav right on the leg!" The man said behind the door. _He was talking about Fudgy_ , Merlin thought.

"The boy?" Another voice spoke. It belonged to Cenred.

"Wait! There's blood on the floor!" The other man said. Merlin looked down on his wound.

 _Oh, are you kidding me?_ They started to open the door but it was locked. "Hey, I think he's in here!"

 _Where to now?_ Merlin dashed to the opposite side of the room, toward a window he could easily fit into that overlooked the roof of a garage. He didn't want to think of it. He needed to do it. Merlin heard them banging against the door as he desperately tried to unlatch it. In a few seconds, he managed to open the window and crawled out, ignoring the shots of pain coursing from his leg and managed to land on the roof of the garage. The door behind him burst open.

"You! Stop!" He saw Cenred through the window. He pulled out his gun and aimed it at him.

The roof caved in beneath his weight and with one step, Merlin was stepping through air. He shot his arm out, trying to reach a part of the roof, something to hold on to, but it was already too late. He fell, Cenred's bullet swished an inch above his head, landing on the cushions of an open roofed jeep and in front of a shocked Arthur.

"Oh, fancy seeing you here!" Arthur grinned at him.

"How the fuck did you get here so fast?" Merlin said between gritted teeth. "Ow, my leg. Shit, my back," He cursed as he took splinters of wood he was sitting on.

"Sneaked past the second stairwell. Where did you go?"

 _Shit. I should have done that instead of going to the main one_ , Merlin mentally face-palmed. "Doesn't matter. Get us out of here now!"

"They're getting away!" Cenred screamed from the broken window of the bathroom, pointing their gun at them.

Arthur turned the ignition, and the engine revved up quickly. "Hold on!" Arthur ordered as he stepped on the gas and the car moved forward, bursting out of the wooden gate and drove toward the open field.

Merlin looked back, to the chaos they had caused. At the attic of the farmhouse, a fire raged on, snaking its way down to the floors beneath.

"Did you do that?"

Arthur did not say anything but grinned.

From the distance, Cenred's men hopped onto their car and chased after them.

"We're not going to make it." Merlin mumbled.

"Oh. We are." Arthur extended his arm out, to a small pin nestled between his fingers.

It was the tracker, blinking red.


	18. Chase

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

CHASE

 **I.**

"Are they still behind us?" Arthur asked, swerving down the gravel road like a mad man.

"What did ya think?" Merlin screamed, yelping behind the back seat as he was thrashed around like a rag doll from left to right, bumping his head against the window and the tin can walls.

Merlin's back still ached from the fall from the glass ceiling, his landing wasn't quite as smooth as it looked like because he was pretty sure he broke a rib or two. He tried to steady himself at the back, grabbing hold of the head rest as he pulled himself up, finally looking behind him and fully regretted doing so.

Behind them, at least six cars were right at their heels, and at the first Jeep, he could see clearly from the bird poop stained wind shield was Cenred scowling, a lion adamant at hunting its prey. It was enough for the raven haired boy to almost pee his pants. _That guy almost shot me!_ Well, he did shoot him on the leg, but he did almost shoot right at his head, too. He completely forgot about his leg from all the sneaking and running away and fully distracted from trying to save his own skin. A shot of pain rang through his nerves and muscles, like being shot all over again.

"Run? That was your plan? Run?" Merlin heaved, trying to peel his eyes away from the approaching cars.

"Hey, it worked didn't it?" Arthur smiled at him as he slammed the gas pedal once more and veered off faster.

Behind them, the farmhouse exploded, a pillar of fiery smoke and dusk kicked off high on the air, a maddening heat that enveloped those around it. Even from where Merlin and Arthur were, they could feel the heat pecked their back. A series of flashes soon followed, lifting and spreading along the sides, until Merlin could no longer see any resemblance of the house. It was all covered in orange, yellow, and black of hue. Debris soon started falling from the sky, shooting high up on the air, and Merlin swore he saw a bath tub flying and then landing almost a few inches away from their left side.

Merlin turned to Arthur beside him, almost gave him a half a smile. As hard as it was for Merlin to admit it, that was a bit impressive.

"Must have hit a gas pipe," Arthur mumbled, as they left the gravel road onto a dirt road, snaking away from the explosion and the farm entirely, now flanked by trees on both ends.

Though, behind them, Cenred's scowl turned into a full blown roar, screaming at his driver, probably to speed up and close in their distance.

"You know, they're still behind us, and I think they're pretty mad!" Merlin pointed out. He saw a half empty water bottle nestled into a cup holder and threw it at them. It clanked on top of the hood of Cenred's car, before falling off and bursting against the wheel of another car.

"Did you think that would help?" Arthur glowered at him, shaking his head.

"I don't know, I'm pissing my pants right now!"

"Look over those boxes," Arthur nod his head to the rear view mirror. "Search them."

At the trunk of the jeep, there were at least two wooden long boxes, the kind of boxes that you would see when trying to store the weapons and gold or cocaine, and bury them somewhere. Merlin did not hesitate in opening one of them. He started on the left side, using all his might to lift the lid open as it was so heavy until he started to see little spots at the corner of his eyes. It was only filled with straws. Both boxes were filled with straws.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind and Merlin propped himself with the help of the head rest and the side panel. Standing on top of the backseat cushion, ignoring the shots of pain emanating from his gunshot wound, Merlin kicked the box off of the trunk with his good leg and watch it fall off of the jeep and tumbling down the road. He kicked the next box, the other much lighter than the former, and it tumbled off the ground easily following its brother.

Cenred's car and the one on his right managed to swerve out of its way, but the third jeep wasn't so lucky. The second box hit them right on their right bumper, taking out their headlights with them. The box exploded into tiny shards, the straws flew out and blanketed the air, blocking the rest of the car with them. The jeep managed swerved of course, going down a ditch on its right though there was no chance to recover from that turn. It hit a tree on its way.

It bought Merlin and Arthur at least ten seconds ahead.

Arthur screamed in joy. "Whoo! Now that's what I'm talking about!"

Merlin couldn't help but smile as well.

"Genius, Merlin! I could kiss you right now!" Then, Arthur looked at him, blushing. "I…I mean, it's just a figure of…"

"Just watch the road!" Merlin shouted over, trying to ignore what he just said. At the corner of his eyes, he saw Cenred pulled out his gun. "Gun! He's got a gun!" Merlin screamed over the engine noise.

Merlin ducked onto the floor of the backseat as Cenred rained them with bullets, sparks flying against the clang of metal and broken glass. Cenred started barking orders from his car's window to his men from the other car, though Merlin couldn't make out what he was saying.

"They're trying to take our tires out!" Arthur screamed over.

"Look! Ahead of us!" Merlin pointed out.

Mere a hundred feet away from them was a metal gate, flanked by thick slabs of pillars, each connected by the same metal fence snaking its way into the forest. It was a double rail gate, almost standing at least twelve feet high and it looked to be powered manually based on a metal box standing beside the right pillar. From where Merlin stood, each frame was at least two inches thick, and if Arthur planned to ram it, he knew they were not going to make it.

It's not like in the movies where actors could just easily plow through it. This was basic physics! The gate was firmly attached to the pillars, and from the looks of it, the pillars seemed to be strong and newly fused and slabbed together. Even if they did managed to get to the other side, their jeep would be too battered and ruined that Cenred was bound to catch up to them and possibly kill them in front of the camera for real this time.

"We're not going to make it," he told Arthur.

"I know."

"So, what are we going to do?"

They were almost thirty feet away from it now, barreling down at it with a speed of eight miles per hour, and at least five cars at their tow with at least the same speed as them.

"Hold on fast. I found something a little crazy."

 _Great! Like I need crazier things_ , Merlin thought. He held onto the head rest of the passenger side and the side panel, waiting for Arthur to make his move.

With only teen feet left between the gate and them and the gate, Arthur swerved to the left, almost grazing by the large pillars, and then veering off down the ditch. Arthur hit a bump, sending the jeep flying at least two feet above the air, Merlin, too, without his seatbelts, and then landing onto the ground smoothly. Merlin fell on top of the passenger seat from the backseat, fearing that it might open his wound further.

Behind them, as if Cenred read their mind, he perfectly veered off toward their direction, also narrowly grazed over the pillar wall with his side panel, and then following them down the sloped ditch. Though, the car behind him didn't have a faster reflexes as Cenred has, because it pummeled itself onto the gate. The gate didn't budge, and all that was left was a mangled jeep with its hood crushed like a soda can.

"Well, good call on that one!" Merlin said, imagining if that could be them. "So, what's our plan now?"

"Something crazy again."

"Than the last one?"

Arthur turned to him, grinning. "Yeah. Crazier than the last one. We'll just follow the wall!"

"Whoah! Watch out!" Merlin screamed at the oncoming branch hurtling their way.

Arthur and Merlin ducked just in time as a thick tree branch slammed against their windshield, glass bursting everywhere, and taking the windshield cleanly off of the car. _That could be our heads!_ Merlin thought.

"Fuck, the wall's not ending!" Arthur pointed out to the fence.

Indeed, the metal fence tapered out onto a walled stone cliff, and it was obvious enough that their jeep didn't have any magic powers to propel them up to the top and fly out of here before Cenred shoot a bullet into his head. If Merlin was a wizard, he'd probably do that in a heartbeat. But sadly, real life isn't always like that.

"What are we going to do?"

Arthur turned to face Merlin, his face pale as snow, and replied, "Frankly, I have no fucking clue."

 **II.**

"They found them. They found them!" Morgana squealed as she entered the lounge room, dragging both Percival and Lancelot out of the room and into the living hall. She went on, "Tristan is mobilizing everyone! I've heard it from father a few minutes ago! Quick! They're almost out of the door!"

Percival quickened his pace. He did not hear anything from Barabbas or Elyan about them being found, when he specifically ordered them to get back to him once they hear something substantial. They were almost out of the room when Elyan, Barabbas, and Morgana's bodyguard, Oswald, showed up right in front of them, face unreadable, though behind their eyes, Percival saw a hint of guilt.

"I am sorry, your highnesses, but we are not allowed to let you out of the building. The city is in a lockdown," said Elyan.

"Let us pass, Elyan. My father is going to wherever they are going and I want to be there when I get to my brother. I need to see that he's safe," Percival said.

"You can do this here, my prince. Where it is safe."

"Bullshit. Let us pass now," he barked, and Percival stepped forward, only for Barabbas to shoot his arm out and stopped him, blocking his way with his thick arm. "This is an order."

"I'm sorry, my prince. But this is the king's word," Barabbas cast his eyes down. "You three are to remain here until the situation is handled. It might get dangerous."

"What? We can't just sit here and do nothing!" Morgana wailed, then tried to wiggle her way out of Elyan and Barabbas, though it was all for naught. "Let me through!"

Barabbas, Elyan and Oswald all shoved them back into the living hall and locked the door, apologizing on the other end as they locked it. "This is all for your own good!" They heard Elyan shout.

Percival kicked the door in frustration as Lancelot tried to find another way out of the room. Unfortunately, there was only one way out. Lancelot found the balcony door though it was a several stories drop to the next window of the other room, without any ledge for support. They could try to jump it but none of them were that stupid enough to do that.

"What are we going to do now?" Morgana asked, burying his head among the throw pillows of the sofa. "This is so frustrating! Agh!"

"Calm down. We're not going to be able to get out of here," Lancelot sighed, sitting down next to Morgana. "I hope they find them quick and safe."

"They'll be safe," Percival added, the thought of his brother harmed was too much to bear. They already shot him once. If they knew they were coming, Cenred might've shot him already. He was the expendable one out of the two of them and that had him very worried. Then, a thought crossed his mind.

"I have an idea," Percival announced, the other two's heads shot up to his direction. "Okay, so, my family and I have a private helicopter on the rooftop. I have training in flying them so we could use it to fly us out to their location."

"Genius. Problem is, we don't know where they are and we're locked in here with no exits," Lancelot pointed out. "They might've used it to go after them! Plus, the city is on a lockdown. How are we going to get there?"

 _Good point_ , Percival thought. Nevertheless, he wanted to try. _For Merlin_.

Percival pointed at the squared grate hovering six feet up the wall at the left corner of the room. It was the air vent.

"You want us to go in that thing?" Morgana asked, though with a hint of interest in her voice.

"I know my way around this building. Kind of goes with the territory to know where I should go or hide if there's an attack." Though, Percival did not really know anyone who'd be crazy enough to attack an Emrys residence. Then, he'd be lying if he said that was true. There was Cenred after all.

"We can't go anywhere without their location, though."

"Let me handle that. The vents lead to the room they used as the command. If everyone is out there looking for them as Elyan and Barabbas said, then the room might be empty. We can sneak in there, get the plan, and then bust out for the helicopter."

"And if the helicopter is not there?"

"We use the car."

"But the city is on a lockdown!" Morgana said.

"Not if we use a police car," Percival gave them a sly grin.

Lancelot began to stand up, clapping his hands. "Well, time to stretch my legs then because I don't think it'll be roomy in there with my size," he chuckled. Lancelot was the tallest and biggest out of three of them. "Lead the way, your highness," he went on.

 **III.**

Merlin and Arthur abandoned the car behind because as they went deeper into the woods, the foliage of bushes and shrubs increasingly grew thick, until the gaps between trees couldn't fit their jeep anymore. For twenty minutes, Cenred had been tracking and chasing them through the woods, tracking them with their obvious tracks they're making along the way.

"We need to go faster!" Arthur huffed, Merlin's armed draped around his shoulders as he carried the raven haired boy through the thick foliage, bursting through branches and being sliced through by thorny vines. A minute was all it took for Cenred to catch them. That was how close they were.

"I can't! My leg!" Merlin cried, trying to hush his voice down so that they others won't hear him.

Merlin has been trying to muffle every sound they made, though it only made everything worse, because every step he made was a shot of pain snaking its way to every muscle in his body, making his body weight grew heavier with each passing minute. He just wanted to lay down and pass out, let the pain seep away and just rest for a while. But, he knew he couldn't do that with the bad men on their trail. _Oh God! I know I don't believe in you sometimes, but oh my, if you're real, please, please, help us out of here!_ Merlin thought, pushing his leg up a fallen log as he jumped over, only making his wound even worse.

"I think I've opened my wound more," Merlin whispered, looking at the blood soaked sheet wrapped around his leg.

"We'll deal with that later!"

A bullet shot right at the tree to their right, mere five feet away from where they were. Arthur realized they had been sneaking behind them this entire time. _I can't believe I didn't hear them!_ Arthur thought. He pushed his body forward, dragging Merlin along with his arm as they burst through the foliage of vines and bushes, trying to get away from Cenred who was quickly gaining distance between them.

"You fuck! Don't kill them yet! We need them!" Arthur heard Cenred screamed behind them.

"I can't see anything!" Merlin howled.

The thick bushes made it harder to see where they were going, especially when the sun was just setting in from the mountains. Arthur regretted even veering off to this location. A few minutes ago, there was an open meadow, but he was too scared to go to it that open because it was easier for the others to chase them down. He underestimated Cenred's men's tracking skills. It didn't matter in the end for even a blind man could see the tracks their making. All they had to do was find Merlin's trail of blood.

The tracker was still in his hand as he burst through the last foliage, and coming up to another small patch of grass, extending to a steep drop to the roaring river below.

"Arthur…" Merlin whispered, eyes wide and glazed over. "I, I don't think…"

 _No, we can't go back_ , Arthur thought. Doing so, Cenred would catch them and he did not like what would happen if he did. _Maybe finally kill us, though I'm definitely not going to be joining that party_.

Arthur gave Merlin a look, staring him right on the eye. Whether Merlin liked it or not, they had no other options left. The raven haired boy's eyes grew wider than before, shaking his head and, to Arthur's surprise, found enough strength to burrow his good feet onto the dirt to stop himself.

"We have no choice, Merlin!"

Yet, the boy continued to shake his head, trying to wiggle out of his grip.

Arthur peered below. It was only a twenty feet drop. They could make it. They'd survive the fall.

"Arthur, no!" Merlin protested.

He heard Cenred cutting through the foliage, bursting through the last gap and onto the small patch mere a couple of feet away from them. If Cenred shot his arm a second earlier, he would've caught Merlin by his clothes.

With only a second to spare, Arthur grabbed hold of both of Merlin's arms, dragged him out of the ledge, and pushed him off to the side. The raven haired boy screamed as he hit the water, and soon, Arthur followed as Cenred ran after him, reaching his arm out, but missed the tip of his blonde hair, as he crashed face first on the dirt.

Arthur hit the water hard, the current thrashing him wildly from left to right, then underwater. It wasn't the coldness of the water that shocked him first, it was how deep it was. He felt his legs sunk deeper without any foothold underneath and he clamored for breath toward the surface. The river's current was strong enough that as he burst out to the surface, he was swamped by another wave, twisting and turning his body along. His lungs ached as he tried to hold his breath underneath. He couldn't remember when he found himself back at the top again.

There was no sign of Merlin. He tried to kick his way up for air, though the current always found a way to bring him down, pulling him deeper and deeper, and then giving him a second of breathing room at the surface before dragging him down again.

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted over the rumble of the current, like a jet engine of a plane. He did not hear a reply.

Arthur tried to look for a bank to swim to, but he was flanked by cliffs. The entire river was flanked by a twenty foot cliff on both sides. There was nothing to hold on to.

Arthur couldn't remember when he lost consciousness, or when a giant boulder peeking out at the middle of the river greeted him. The water was cold, a tingling feeling rushed through his nerves and muscles, and for a second, Arthur thought this was the day he was going to die.


	19. Escape at Emrys Tower

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

ESCAPE AT EMRYS TOWER

 **I.**

It was a blazing inferno that greeted them, coupled with the charred splinters of wood that formed a perimeter around what used to be a farmhouse. The black smoke billowed up high toward the darkening sky, crackling and roaring against the sirens of firetrucks and police cars as the firefighters tried to contain the blaze. From where he stood, Balinor felt the intense heat a hundred feet away. They already pulled out six bodies from the charred blocks of wood and frames, and possibly more if the fire was completely gone.

"He's not in there," said Uther, watching the flames beside him. They had been watching it for a few minutes now since they arrived.

When they received Arthur's tracker signal, Balinor and Uther, along with the United States government, mobilized the National Guard as well as the rest of the county state police and converged on the last known location. He forced himself to join with Uther, wanting to know for sure that his son was alive. It pained him to think that his son was only shot a couple of hours ago, and was probably now bleeding to death. _Hold on, Merlin, I am coming_.

But it seemed he was already too late. Twenty minutes after they received the signal, they arrived at a burning house out at the middle of nowhere. His heart almost leapt out of his chest as he watched the house came crashing down from the roaring blaze, his mind quickly thought of Merlin burning inside. He leapt out of the helicopter the moment it touched the ground, and he has to be physically held back going into the burning house. Cenred's men were not in the vicinity but the FBI and the National Guard had already set up a 20 mile wide radius to look for them. So far, they haven't found him or his men yet.

"He must be with my son, Balinor, don't worry. Arthur will keep him safe," Uther added, clasping a hand on Balinor's shoulder and gently squeezed it. "Come, we'll go check it out."

Balinor hesitated for a moment, then peeled his eyes away from the firefighters fighting off the blaze in front of him. They had been struggling for several minutes now, and at least five fire trucks showed up into the scene.

They lost Arthur's signal just as they were about to leave the city. The tracker's last coordinates put him around the river, at least three miles away from where the farmhouse was. They found tracks and signs of struggle along the gravel and dirt road leading toward the farmhouse, along with an overturned truck, but there were no signs of bodies anywhere. Uther believed that Arthur used a car to get out of there, except that the gate must have pushed him deeper into the woods. Uther had already sent a team down there to search the area, knowing that Arthur may have used the forest to his advantage. Though, they still hoped that Merlin was with him. Based on Balinor's observation, none of the people pulled out of the burning house was Merlin. They were too big or bulky for a lanky lad like him. Still, Balinor couldn't avoid going deeper into his mad thoughts, that Merlin was stuck inside a cage somewhere suffocating from the thick smoke, or worse, burning, without no way out, trapped like a food in an oven or a microwave.

Balinor shook the dreadful thoughts out of his head. _No, for Hunith and Percival, Merlin is alive. I know it in my heart. My son is alive._

"Let's get to the helicopter and fly there," Uther said.

Balinor did not say anything and followed him toward the waiting helicopter a couple hundred feet away from the house.

"Your majesties, I don't think we can use the helicopter at the moment," Tristan Oswell said, walking behind them. He was Uther's head security guard. "The terrain is too rough and jagged to land us there, and there's a chance it might rain tonight."

Uther groaned. "Then, get me something that would take us there!"

Tristan pursed his lips before saying, "There is a back country road that leads to the river. It may fit one of our Jeeps. Although, we have to stop a mile away from the river bank. There's a popular hiking trail around that area and it's connected to the river. Around Arthur's last coordinates, there's a ranger tower half a mile away from them, but it's deeper into the woods. We have to walk to get there."

Well, that sounds promising, Balinor thought, a ghost of a smile crept on his lips.

"Then, we'll take it!" Uther huffed, marching off toward where most of the vehicles parked.

"I'll come with you," Balinor spoke finally, though his voice cracked under his throat.

"Of course, my friend, of course. I won't leave you behind with these retched fools waiting around this house while our sons are out there in the woods!"

"Hopefully, Merlin is with him. He's hurt."

"Knowing Arthur, he'll be there. I've trained him well. He better be, or else I just wasted thousands of euros to prepare him for the real world," Uther grumbled to one of the Jeeps standing by. "But I promise you, Balinor. Merlin will be there with him. He's with a Pendragon. You know how we are," Uther gave him half a smile before climbing up the passenger side of the Jeep.

Without a beat, Balinor hopped into the Jeep and Tristan sped away toward their next destination.

 **II.**

Morgana tried to squeeze herself into the tight vent for the past five minutes now, following Percival wherever he led them to. _Probably to our deaths. I've seen too many movies which ends in someone's death by going into the air vents!_ Morgana thought. She couldn't believe she agreed to get into the small space in the first place. Granted, she has a slight case of claustrophobia, and right now, she was on the verge of a panic attack.

"Morgana, are you alright?" Lancelot whispered behind her. His whisper was like talking loudly in a concert hall, reverberating throughout the small space like giant speakers. Morgana was sure that someone must have heard that from one of the gratings.

Morgana only made a muffled noise, trying not to think about the situation. _I'm doing this for Arthur._

"Shh, no talking," Percival said as he tried to make a left turn while at the same time, making sure not to make a sound. He slightly succeeded, although they could still hear the metal groaning under their weight, bending and forming back to its position. "Wait, I think we're here."

Mere ten feet away was a metal grating that led to a dimly lit room. There were a couple of people talking in there, although, Morgana couldn't see clearly who they were. She didn't really have a good view of what's inside anyway since what's in front of her was Percival's butt. Morgana gulped at the thought, trying to avert her eyes from what's in front of him. The metal floor increasingly became more interesting.

They waited inside the vent for the two to leave. Sadly, that didn't happen yet. Another minute or two laying still, Morgana felt like the entire vent was becoming an oven and suffocating her. She wanted to get out of there as soon as possible but Percival was blocking her exit. He was a big man, and if she has to climb over him to that metal grating, they'd probably figure out they were inside the vents due to them squeezing into such a small, tight space. Then, Morgana would truly be suffocating to death. Though, she couldn't help wonder about what it would be like that close to Percival. _Oh stop it, Morgana! This is not the right time to think about those things_ , she thought.

Suddenly, there was a commotion in front of them and they heard Oswald's voice through the door. "You! Come quick! The damn little buggers are missing!"

The two men jumped off of their seats, dropped whatever they were doing, and scurried out of the room leaving it empty. Percival looked back behind him, gave them a slight nod, before slowly turning himself around the small space so that his feet was in contact with the metal grating. With only two swift kicks, he opened the grate, and finally, Morgana could feel fresh air as she clambered out of the vents. Then, the smell of dim sum and Chow Mein assaulted her nostrils.

On the table was a Chinese takeout with beef broccoli and some orange chicken. It reminded her that she hasn't eaten since Arthur and Merlin were kidnapped, spending more of her time worrying for them. She was almost tempted to reach out and may be have one of those orange chicken when Percival pulled him out of her thoughts.

"They have it right here," he said as he typed on the computer monitors mounted against the western wall of the small room.

Lancelot strode to the open door, took a quick peek outside, and locked it. "I'll keep watch," he said. He eyed a single automatic rifle just sitting idly around on the nearby table, and out on the open. "Well, this is America for you," he chuckled, grinning at Morgana. She rolled her eyes, couldn't take how her cousin could joke around their situation right now.

The room wasn't that big to begin with, dimly lit, each corner covered in shadows except for the ones bathed under the city lights from two small windows on their south side. There was a long table at the middle littered with different files and papers, as well as coffee cups and water bottles. One file was of Cenred and his organization's long list of dealings and war atrocities throughout the globe. On the western side was eight monitors mounted onto the wall, each screen produced different things like the CNN channel, footage of security cameras littered around the city, and Cenred's roster of his men plastered along with their stats and crimes. There was even a screen about the weather, and it said there was a 70% chance it was going to rain tonight. On one particular monitor was a topography of an area. Percival zoomed out of the area to find where it was, plotting a point from that area to the city. One number popped up on the screen along with a blue trail.

"It's just a 100 miles out of the city, at a farm house of some sort," he said. He looked over one monitor that tracked Arthur's signal, a list of time stamps along with a jumble of numbers that Morgana vaguely made out as coordinates. "Wait, it says here that the last signal was by the river," he added.

Morgana froze. "The river? Did something happened to him?"

Percival typed on the keyboard again, different windows popping up on the screen including a police scanner and other stuff Morgana has no idea what they were. "They got there twenty minutes ago, and the farmhouse burned down." Percival looked at her with worry, his blood rushing out of his cheeks.

"What? Are they okay? Did they say anything about Merlin? Or Arthur?" Lancelot added in, staring intently at the monitor.

"Shh, keep your voice down. They might hear us."

Lancelot ignored him and pressed on. "So, what did it say? Did it say anything about Arthur being okay? How about Merlin?" His voice wavered at the end.

Morgana could hear the cracks forming beneath Lancelot's exterior. She always struck him as a very mellow and calm person compared to her brother, but she rarely see him to be this agitated. She could tell that from the little glint in his eyes, the way he now studied Merlin's picture on the TV screen, eyes glazed with fire and brows furrowed, concerned of Merlin's well-being even though he only met him a couple of times. He may have fallen off of his heels further than she originally thought.

"Status unknown for now. Says here they already pulled out bodies from the rubble..."

Hearing it made Morgana a bit nauseous, trying to ignore the sinking feeling that Arthur and Merlin might not be alright. _But they found the tracker at the river. That must mean Arthur made it out of the farmhouse at least_ , Morgana thought. Looking at the other monitor that displayed the weather for tonight, at least it was going to rain any moment to put the fire out. They stared at the map that Percival pulled out in full screen, a satellite image of the farmhouse at the middle in a three mile radius.

"There's his last signal," Percival pointed at the bottom right corner of the map. A rough estimation put it at a couple miles away from the farmhouse.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Lancelot barked, marching out toward the vents.

The door knob twisted and turned, rustling across from them and pulled them out of their goal. "Hey, this door's lock!" A man bellowed behind the door.

"Shit! What are we going to do?" Morgana cursed, panic seized up her entire body.

"Hold on, I got the keys," another man said, the keys jingled menacingly with each passing second, seizing all three of them with its sound.

"Fire escape!" Lancelot pointed out of the window. "Does it lead right up to the rooftop?"

Percival grinned at him. "Yes, it does!" He quickly marched across the room toward the window, swiftly opening it and climbed out. "Come on!" He urged the others.

Lancelot picked up the rifle from the nearby table, swung it around his shoulder and followed Percival out of the window. He also grabbed a radio on his way out from an end table. Percival gave him a thumbs up then patted him right on the back.

"What are you planning on using that for?" Morgana asked, then, she caught the answer right after her question rolled off of her tongue. It was obvious why they would need it.

"One word: Cenred. Now, climb out before they find us here."

Morgana didn't have to be asked twice as she hurriedly forced her body out of the window. Climbing out of the window took a bit of work due to how small the opening was, and couldn't believe how Percival and Lancelot fit easily through it when they were much bigger than her. They heard the door swung open behind them, then, like a pin dropped in a silent room, they heard two men gasp loudly like an atomic bomb.

"Hey, stop!" One of the men said, rushing out toward the open window.

"Go, go, go!" Percival roared, hastily running up the metal steps.

Lancelot kicked the window latch closed, falling down like a guillotine on top of the man's hand, and probably crushing it under its weight. "Oh god! Sorry!" Lancelot called out before climbing the steps after Percival.

 _Oh gosh! Don't look down, don't look down!_ Morgana thought, staring up at Lancelot's butt as she climbed up the metal stairs, hands bound tightly along the rungs. Though, within a few seconds after reaching the next floor, she made the mistake of looking down below the empty streets, at least a hundred feet down. She stumbled over, reaching out toward the nearest wall, and froze there right in front of a screaming Vivian behind the windowpane.

Vivian opened her bedroom window, face flushed red as she screamed out, "Percy! What the hell are you doing?"

"Damn it, Vivian! Stay in your room!" Percival continued to climb up the steps. Morgana could already make out the rooftop from where she's standing and followed suit.

"Wait, I'm coming with you," Vivian said, clambering out of her window wearing only her sleeveless yellow nightgown that only covered everything above her knees.

"For the love of God, Vivian, get back inside!"

"No! You're up to something! All of you are up to something!"

From the corner of her eyes, Morgana saw Lancelot in a daze, looking at Vivian behind them. Morgana rolled her eyes and smacked him on the shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts. His cheeks flushed red as he climbed up the steps with his tail tucked between his legs.

"Princess Morgana," Oswald screamed from below. Morgana could make out his form between the metal grating as he squeezed himself out of the open window. "Please, get back inside!"

"Sorry, Oswald!" She replied as she followed Percival up the last set of stairs.

The helicopter was there, unused, like a beacon of hope in an otherwise bad day. In fact, Morgana was so close in believing that her father and King Balinor may have used the helicopter out of the city that her heart almost leapt out of her chest when she saw it in front of her eyes. She almost didn't see it at first glance due to how its midnight blue color almost blended in the darkness. Beside her, she heard Percival groaned, staring at three letters plastered near the tail boom: FBI.

"Well, I reckon this is not exactly your helicopter?" Morgana asked.

"No, but I can still fly it." Percival marched toward the machine and climbed into the cockpit. The others trailed behind him and Lancelot took the other co-pilot seat next to Percival while Morgana and Vivian took the back. "Vivian, your last chance, now get off before you'll regret this!" Percival said as he turned the rotors on. He added, "Last chance!"

"No! I know what you're doing now and I'm coming with you."

"Fine, be that way."

Percival checked the monitors in front of him, clicking different stuffs that Morgana has no idea what it was for. She did hear the machine click and hum, as if it's starting, lights switched on that Morgana thought must be a good thing and that they were on the right track. She trusted Percival knew what he was doing. Soon, the rotors began to move, increasing its speed with each passing second.

The door to their left burst open and Barabbas and Elyan flooded in along with four other men. On the other hand, Oswald's head peeked out from the fire escape. Though, they were already too late. Percival began to lift the helicopter up the air, leaving the rest of them cowering behind covers, shielding themselves from the rotor blades kicking out gusts of wind on their path. In a minute, the city of New York was well below them, climbing at least a couple hundred feet as they zoomed out of its borders, the concrete jungle now turning into a lush of green covered in darkness.

Percival put on the noise canceling earmuffs over his head and pointed to the others to do the same. As everyone put on theirs, he spoke up and said, "That was close!"

Lancelot chuckled, "It was, though, for a second there, I thought we might cock it up. Surprised we are blinding!"

"What if they start following us?" Vivian asked.

 _Good point_ , Morgana thought.

"Then, let them follow. They can't do anything about it anyway. At least we're bringing in men once we find Arthur and Merlin, right?" Lancelot said, grinning.

 _That's a good point too_. "I couldn't see anything down there," Morgana said, peering out below. There was the highway on her right gleaming like a lantern with its hundreds of cars' headlights filling the busy pavement. So far, that was the only light she could find along with the city behind them and may be a couple of towns at the horizon. She added, "How are we even going to find them?"

"Well, first, there's some good news. Tank's full, so we can search as long as we need to. Second, we just follow the coordinates of Arthur's last signal and try to find him there. We'll be there within half an hour."

 _Okay, that sounds like a plan_ , Morgana thought. Well, kind of. _What if we don't find them?_

"Do you know how to use that thing?" Percival asked, eying the rifle now slung around Lancelot's shoulder.

Lancelot huffed and chuckled, "I have the Pendragon blood. What do you think?" Lancelot fiddled around with the radio he stole from the room. "Trying to find the right channel so we know what's going on down there," he mumbled.

"Alright, alright, looks like you know what you're doing. Do you think there's trouble?"

"With Cenred around…about 50%."

"Oh, okay. Priority is that we-"

"No, 70%."

Percival paused. "Are you sure?"

"No…probably 80%. Yes, 80%."

"It seems like you're just getting higher and higher…"

"You know what, whether we like it or not, so I'm going to say, there's a 99.99% chance."

Another pause. "So, we are going to meet him…"

Lancelot nodded his head coupled with two thumbs up.

 _Great, just great_. Morgana thought. She didn't know who was lucky; either them finding the helicopter out of the city, or taking billions of dollars' worth of pretty little royal heads right on Cenred's golden platter like an expensive lobster meal with wine. It felt like the whole world was just crushing down on her all of a sudden.


	20. The River

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

THE RIVER

 **I.**

Merlin hacked and wheezed as he crawled up the shore. As hard as it was trying to hold his breath underwater, it was even harder trying to get the water out of his lungs once he finally reached a shallow section that led to a nearby bank. He didn't count on how strong the current was, crawling against it by using the nearby rocks and boulders and kicking with his lone good leg as he clambered up the shallows. He collapsed on the ground, heaving.

It was cold. Everything was cold. The dirt on his back was cold. The air around him was cold. His shirt was too tight against his skin all damp and wet, and it felt like it was trying to suffocate him. His leg was burning, as if a thousand needles were stabbing him all over his body with hateful spur. His muscles froze, unable to move or even make a sound as he lay there watching the starless sky above him, still trying to catch his breath that was slowly seeping away from him. He was afraid he couldn't catch up.

He realized something was missing.

"Arthur!" He cried out, scanning through the darkness in front of him. He could barely see anything except the roar of the river. "Arthur!" He called out again.

 _Oh no, what if he did not make it?_ He thought. First of all, he was still mad that Arthur pushed him over the cliff and he did not appreciate that he landed with his head first, which in turn made him consume more water than he would have liked. He was thankful he knew how to swim, however, not with an injured leg. It felt like he had cramps, trying to keep his head above the water but that was hard due to how strong the current of the river was. He did not see Arthur after he hit the water, busy trying to stay afloat with a wounded leg, which was probably infected by now. The burning sensation it let out may not be a good sign. He inched his finger slowly to touch it. That was a mistake he regret doing.

"Fuck!" Merlin let out a scream. It hurt more than he anticipated. _I need to get to a hospital quick,_ he thought. There, Merlin felt the darkness enclosing around him.

In his rough estimation, it has only been close to three hours since Cenred shot him and Arthur's decent patch up job with his leg, surprising even himself that he hasn't bled out yet. Of course, he refused to think about bleeding out right at this moment or that something bad was going to happen to him any minute. Based on what Arthur said in the cell, his wound wasn't that deep and it went out cleanly, and it seemed it didn't hit a major artery. That was a good thing but he was still slowly bleeding out. As if the whole Cenred debacle wasn't bad enough. The guy was actually trying and planning on killing him in front of the entire world. He couldn't begin to imagine what his mother must be feeling at this moment or Percival and Balinor, worrying behind the screen and at their wits trying to find him. _Where they even looking for him?_ Though, the thought was even preposterous coming out of his mouth. Of course they'd be looking for him. Talking about Percival, he knew how far his half-brother would go to find him. He found him in New York and told him he was a prince for Christ's sake! At the back of his mind, he was hoping he'd show up around the bushes and get him out of here or flying above the helicopter and whisk him away from where he lay now.

Speaking of rescues, the downside on his part was that he's far away from the tracker, the only salvation he has out of there. He knew that the tracker Arthur had must have triggered them to their location, but Arthur has it in his possession (and probably lost in the river) and now far away from him to who knew where. Now, he's stuck along the river with no way out.

It was tempting to just lay there along the dirt, trying to even out his breathing, let his heart rate and blood pressure calm down to its resting potential for a bit and clear his mind out. He wanted to close his eyes and just sleep, tired of the running and the hiding against Cenred, who he did not even know exist until he showed up shooting him on his damn leg! Certainly, Merlin wasn't raised to have such appalling manners on meeting strangers! But, who was he kidding? Villains tend to do those stupid things. A simple threat and a gun cocked to the head would have been fine, like a James Bond villain divulging the plan instead of actually killing the main character, because, hello, _stupid plot armor_. Now, he has a problem with his leg, an unfortunate anchor out on the middle of nowhere. This was no stupid plot armor, because one, this was real life, and two, he's actually dying like some dumb redshirt.

 _Great. I am going to die here and be eaten by bears or wolves or hyenas…wait, hyenas don't exist around here. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm dying._

He still has many plans ahead of his life. He wanted to have three kids, live around the countryside and become either a dentist, a nurse or a doctor…somewhere health related that would bring in enough income to support his family and husband and he has enough money to go to Disneyland five times a year if he has to. Oh, and he has to get married, too, with the love of his life. He knew how cliché that was but he always imagined traveling the world with him. He still has to see Avalon and Paris, and be as basic as ever by taking a picture in front of the Eiffel tower or do those padlock thingy on the bridge, exchanging vows of how they should stay together forever. He couldn't help but pinpoint when his life turned bat-shit crazy. Was it when he met Percival or when Freya and Maggie dragged him to that stake out at the airport to wait for a pratty prince? He couldn't believe this all stem from just four days ago! _Freaking four days_!

 _What a time to start and spend my spring break_ , Merlin chuckled at the thought, thinking how Will, Maggie and Freya would react once he told them the craziest days of his entire life. Then, he realized he couldn't because he's a prince and it was all supposed to be a secret. _Was it even a secret at this point? Basically, everyone knew who I was through the TV screen. Wait…I have a bag over my head…_

His soft chuckles turned into outright laughter, reverberating throughout the nearby woods, cackling like a mad man, a wet and soaking mad man who was slowly burning up from a fever. He could feel it creeping in through his skin. Then, his laughter turned into sobs, his chest crushing down on him all of a sudden, and his world around him crumbled like tiny fragments of glass raining down on him. His vision blurred as streams of tears that he could not control started flowing down his cheeks. As much as he tried to ignore or deny it, he was going to die. He lay there like a fish out of water on the bank, flopping against the darkness and the cold wind waiting. He was going to die there tonight.

Then, a soft splash echoed from his left, could be a trunk or a piece of wood crashing against the shallow rocks a few feet away from where he was, but the splashing was continuous against the current. Merlin forced himself up to a sitting position, squinting his eyes against the darkness to make out the silhouette of a body face down in the water. There was only one man who wear that suit in such pompous air and arrogance that Merlin recognize him from anywhere.

"Arthur!" He called out again. He did not make a sound.

Ignoring his wounded leg, Merlin pushed himself up, clamoring down the shallows again toward Arthur, who was beginning to get pulled by the current downstream. Merlin skipped over the rocks with his one good leg, the shots of pain electrifying him with each heavy step. On his way, he almost caught himself from fainting, realizing how weak his body has become. _It must be the loss of blood_ , Merlin thought. He shook it out of his mind for now as he shot his arm out to grab Arthur's shirt, mere seconds away from being dragged out of the shallows by the river's current.

Arthur was heavy than he expected, having as much trouble dragging him out of the water by wrapping his arms underneath his armpits. He was close on twisting his good leg, but thankfully, he caught himself. If he did not, it's another slew of problems added to their list.

"Come on, Arthur! Can you hear me?" He called out, slapping his cheeks a little bit, but the boy still did not reply.

Merlin lay him on his back, loosening his collar a little bit so that he could breathe easily. "Arthur, talk to me. Arthur! Come on, man!" Still, he was not responding.

 _I have to do a CPR_ , Merlin thought.

He tried to remember the CPR class he did last year with Will for lifeguard training for a nearby beach along Long Island, a summer job he signed up to. Merlin was in that class for a month, and he mostly remembered what he have to do once someone was unconscious. Based on Arthur's responses, he was completely out. Still, he tapped his shoulder gently just to make sure if he was responsive. Again, nothing.

 _Okay, Merlin, you can do this_ , he said to himself, _I know you've only done this twice on the beach, but you can do this again for him. You owe him that_.

"Come on, Arthur. Don't die on me just yet." He tried to look for a pulse, on his neck, though it was so faint he couldn't even feel it outright. He was losing him.

 _Compression first, airway next, breathing last…Compression first, airway next, breathing last…Compression, airway, breathing…_ Merlin thought, like a mill running and grinding through his head, talking him through on what he should do.

Merlin positioned himself next to Arthur's neck and shoulders, placing one of his hand at the center of his chest, right between where his nipples would be, and then placing his other hand on top of it. With his arms straight, he pushed all of his body weight against Arthur's chest, pushing hard as he count the beats he needed. _1, 2, 3, 4, 5…_

Merlin did at least thirty compressions, as he was trained to do last year, closely listening in on his chest for any movement and in his breathing. Merlin tilted Arthur's head back gently and lifted his chin forward to open his airway, bringing his ear down between his mouth and chest, listening and watching for any movements. Though, the roar of the river behind him distracted him, too loud to make sure if he was breathing normally.

Wasting no time, Merlin took a deep breath and brought his lips closer to Arthur's, fully covering his lips with his as he pinched his nostrils, then, made two blows in. He made sure that only lasted for a second, taking in one quick listen as he watched Arthur's chest rise with each of his breath. He swiftly followed it with another thirty chest compressions, harder and more deliberate than the last time. Even with his soaked clothes and body and the cold air, Merlin was sweating profusely.

"Come on, Arthur! Wake up!"

After thirty compressions, Merlin gave him another mouth-to-mouth, watching closely how his chest rise and fall with each breath, then leaning his ear between his mouth and chest to listen for normal breathing. Still, there was nothing.

"Damn it! You old prat, don't leave me alone out here! Arthur! Wake up! Wake up!" Merlin shouted as he did thirty more compressions, the hardest he could do. "1, 2, 3…" He counted, shouting it out at the top of his lungs.

Merlin tilted Arthur's head back again and lifted his chin forward as he brought down his lips for another breath. _Please, Arthur, I need you. Don't leave me around here_ , he thought. He blew his first breath in his mouth, watching his chest normally rise and fall…then river water burst out right into his own mouth, almost chocking himself, and then all over his face like an exploding geyser.

Arthur heaved and coughed madly, thrashing on his spot as Merlin tried to calm him down. "Arthur, you're okay! You're okay! You're fine now," He said soothingly, pushing Arthur's head to the side and let some of the river water flow out of his mouth.

Merlin chuckled, and said, "You're okay. You're okay. You scared me you big son of a bitch…"

"Bloody hell, where am I?" Arthur groaned, still coughing some of the river water out of his lungs. "Fuck that hurts."

"We're still by the river," Merlin replied.

"Did I die…Am I dead?"

"Don't be overdramatic. You were unconscious…"

Arthur coughed, eyes wide, and said, "Oh my god, I died, didn't I?"

Merlin groaned and chose not answer him, trying to catch his own breath. Silence fell between them, although only cut by Arthur's coughing. Arthur lay there trying to calm his own breathing while his right hand was entwined against Merlin's, seemingly afraid to let go.

"You saved me," Arthur said coolly. Through the darkness, Merlin could see a hint of smile.

"Yeah, I did. Now, we're even," he replied, wiggling out of Arthur's grip.

"It feels like there's a fish inside my lungs."

Merlin laughed, and said, "No one would ever want to crawl through there. Trust me. You'll be fine."

Arthur grinned at him. "Oh yeah? Bet you got in there, huh?"

Merlin rolled his eyes, and added, "Okay, I know where this is going now…"

"You gave me mouth-to-mouth, didn't you?"

"You know what, I take the being even part because I think I regret saving your ass."

"Oh come on, it's not that bad. I was just joking," Arthur chuckled, trying stop Merlin from getting up, entwining his hand with his again, and pulling him down. "Just a joke, you know me."

"You wanna get back to the river and drown again?"

"So you can save me and kiss me again?" Arthur winked.

Merlin slapped his shoulder hard earning a yelp from the other boy, and said, "It is mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It's definitely not kissing."

"Okay, whatever makes you feel better at night," Arthur grinned at him, like the Cheshire cat in front of a buffet table. "Okay, that was another joke."

"This reminds me of why I'm always pissed around you and why I can't stand you."

"It was a good joke…"

"Oh my god, you piss me off!" Merlin buried his face between his knees.

"Wait, we're friends now, right? I mean, or am I just imagining the saving and escaping part because we're supposed to be technically friends by then. And if we are, we can joke around-"

"Hello? Arthur? Does Cenred not ring any bell in your ears? Stop joking around and let's get out of here," Merlin said.

"Oh, right. I forgot about him."

Merlin huffed, "How could you forget that guy? He's probably following us by now with a sniper rifle or something! And like we're in his crosshairs by now!" Merlin shivered at the thought.

Arthur paused, and then said, "…because I drowned…and Merlin, its nighttime."

"So what? He could have night vision. I couldn't see anything here!"

As if on cue, a lightning bolt shot across the sky, illuminating the river bank for a second and a half, giving Merlin a clear view of Arthur, and the thick forest next to them. Though, he did not realize a small rickety dock at the end of the river bank a hundred feet away from them with a small boat still anchored and attached to it. After the lightning struck, thunder roared a second later. There was also a sign next to the dock but he couldn't make out what it was, only a picture of a large buck.

 _Well, that's good news. At least we're nearing civilization_ , Merlin thought. . A single droplet fell on Merlin's cheek, and soon after, small droplets started falling from the sky.

"Rain? Really? Could you be more cliché?" Merlin groaned toward the sky. He turned to Arthur, and said, "I feel like the universe doesn't like me much."

"Or me," Arthur chimed in, slowly getting up into a sitting position.

"Here, let me help you get out of the rain," Merlin started, then, he was reminded by his wound on the leg. He yelped in pain, stumbling back onto the ground.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just give me a minute."

Arthur paused, and said, "Wait, did you hear that?"

Merlin froze as he listened through the darkness. It was hard to make out with the river current behind them and tiny droplets of rain against the earth and leaves, and his own blood pumping inside his ear. But a few seconds in, Merlin heard the rustling to his right.

"There, a torch," Arthur whispered, pointing out the beam of a flashlight slowly approaching them.

They froze there by the river bank, unable to move. They didn't have time to react or hide behind a large boulder in the shallows when the light found them. A female voice called out behind the flashlight, and said, "What on earth are you folks doing out here? Don't you know there's a storm a'coming?"

Dressed in her brown ranger outfit beneath a large see through rain poncho, the woman eyed them up and down, blonde hair woven in a Norwegian braid, and green eyes squinting against the darkness. She added, "Wait, are you guys hurt?"

"Uh, yeah, um...pretty badly," Merlin said, surprised he could even utter a word on the 180 degree luck they just pulled. For a second there, he was afraid that it might be one of Cenred's men. "My friend here, he's…he's not well." Merlin pointed to Arthur next to him.

"No, I'm fine. You should check on him. He's been shot!" Arthur said, though, still coughing his way up on his feet, probably trying to get some leftover water in his lungs.

"Shot? The hell? Hold on, I'll call for some back-up. The ranger cabin is not far from here," The woman said, marching forward and knelt next to Merlin. "Kid, are you okay? Shit, you're burning up!"

"Please, help him. He's…I don't know how long he got but he's been hurt for quite a while now," Arthur told her, "I think his leg may have been infected by now,"

"No, I'm fine really, I can get up," Merlin said.

"Uh nuh, stay down, kid," the woman pulled out her radio and ordered on the other line, and said, "Frank, I need help in Sector 4. We got two campers wounded here, over."

"You know what…I'm completely…fine…just…and we're not campers, we need help there's men…" Merlin started, though everything around him started going in a blur.

He couldn't breathe. The thought that he'll see his mother again, and even George and Balinor and his brother, overwhelmed him, like a huge boulder was just lifted off of his shoulder. It was like that Titan god, Atlas, finally having the weight of the entire world lifted off of his back. Imagine how that guy would feel. That was the sensation Merlin was feeling. He almost forgot about Cenred, about everything that happened after the shitstorm that the gala had become.

He felt himself falling down; wanting to rest, wanting to sleep. He welcomed the smile that crept on his face. Arthur and the woman's voices were only a blur to him as tuning them out seemed like a blessing. Peace and quiet, peace and a blessing. He needed rest and a good sleep tonight. _Close your eyes…Close your eyes..._

The last thing he heard was Arthur's voice, as if an echo inside a cave, saying, "Merlin, if you don't wake up right now, I swear, I'm going to slap you,"

Merlin smiled. _Oh, Arthur, you stupid idiot. You're not supposed to slap a pissed off Emrys_. Then, the next thing he knew, he was surrounded by darkness again.

 **II.**

"You heard the radio, they're only a mile from here. We'll get to them within twenty minutes!" Barry said, clutching the radio in front of him like the Holy Grail as the two men beside him grunted in approval.

"We should do this now while the authorities haven't figured out that they're royalty," Connor said, a big burly man with an automatic rifle slung behind his back. "It's only been a minute since they called it in, and the authorities will have a hard time trying to get to him."

"What made you so sure of that, Connor?" Sophia asked, purring beside Cenred who was listening intently with their argument. It has been going on since they heard the call.

"Ahiga National Park have narrower and fewer roads leading into the ranger tower. With off road vehicles, they'll get there within half an hour on foot unless they try to air lift them out of here," he answered.

"And what makes you think they won't just do that?"

"Because, we'll be there before they get there. Plus, there's a storm coming, making it difficult on their part," he hissed.

"On our end, too. We should use this time to escape while their busy over there," Sophia tried to reason with him.

Connor ignored her and turned to Cenred, and said, "Come on, Cenred, this is our last chance to get back at the Pendragons for what he did to your father and to what Uther did to our countries and our people! We have his son. Let's end this."

 _Stupid imbecile_ , Cenred thought. "And when they do get there, what should we supposedly do, hmm?"

"Kill every last sucker. We're armed and ready," Connor nod his head to the bags they had sitting idly by the tree. "We'll kill every single one of them, Pendragons and the like. I bet the king will be there so it will be a win-win!"

Cenred groaned, and stepped closer to where Connor stood, and said, "My goal is not to die right now, Connor, and that is not on my agenda. If I do go along with this dreadful plan of yours, all of us, all fifteen of us, will end up dead, and Arthur would fly off to his mommy and daddy, and I will be a dead man while my father rots in jail. Not a chance. Our goal remains the same and it is to get my father out. If you haven't been paying attention, we lost our assets. We should get out of here and regroup! We're wanted men right now."

"But we have Arthur right now!"

"And how are we going to get out of there once the authorities arrive along with the entire US National guard?"

Connor paused, then slowly told him, "Well, we kill them…"

"You said that before, but still, you'll be a dead man. Listen up, Connor, and get this through that thick skull of yours; we are leaving. End of story."

"You know what, fuck you, Cenred," Connor fumed. "I am loyal to your father. Not you. I know that he would like me to kill Uther's heir. He'd rather enjoy that news that me, Connor, killed the last line of Uther, maybe kill Morgana as well once I'm done with him. You know, you are just a little pup trying to learn how to make a good howl but only ended up with a whine. You just don't have the balls to do it yourself."

Cenred heard Sophia's gun clicked beside him but he shot his arm out, stopping her from pulling it out of her holster. He glared at Connor fiercely, who stared back at him as if wanting him to pull his own gun. He noticed how his fingers were right on the grip of his gun, waiting to pull it out if he did. Cenred knew full well what Connor wanted.

Cenred relaxed his shoulders, gave him half a smile, and said, "Well, go ahead. Go to that ranger tower and kill Arthur. But then, we'll have no leverage for my father's release. Then, you won't be as loyal as you assumed if you do not prioritize my father's release and instead went off on a killing spree to fill up that personal agenda of yours against the Pendragons."

"Do not question where my loyalty lies, boy. I know where it is. Now, I'm going there and kill him myself. He already killed some of our men in the farmhouse. This is just good old fashioned payback. Anyone who wanted to go can come with me and enjoy every last minute of it. I know I will." He seethed, grabbing one of the bags lying beside a boulder and started moving toward the east where the ranger tower was.

He added, "As far as I know, there's two of them against us. He won't stand a chance."

Little by little, some of his men started trailing behind Connor, some hesitating between Cenred and Connor, but eventually moved their legs behind Connor's. There were only eight of them left from a pool of fifteen. Sophia started walking to the east as well, pulling out her gun, but Cenred stopped her, and said, "Let them go, please. Patience is not his strongest suit."

"They'll fuck this plan up, Cenred," Sophia groaned, "He does have a point though."

Cenred turned toward her and kissed her on the cheek, "He made a mistake like I did. He underestimated what Arthur can do. He'll get arrested, or worse, end up dead. I won't make that mistake again." Cenred started carrying some of the bags that were left over.

He turned around to face her again, and said, " _We_ won't make that mistake again."

* * *

 **A/N** : _Hello, folks, it's me again, the pesky author checking up on all of you. Just a quick heads up that I'm posting the next chapter sometime this week than today, because I decided to change where the story is heading and is currently doing some major editing! But, don't worry, I'll post it soon :)_


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